College Life
by Chibi Star Vamp
Summary: After suffering through the worst break-up of her life, she goes off to college. There she finds that one summer is not enough to get over her first love. Why? Because he's there too! Can her best friends help her out? This is the sequel to 'Hokage High'
1. Reunions

Ladies and gentlemen, people of all ages, I present to you this sequel! That's right, welcome to the first chapter to the sequel of the beloved story 'Hokage High'. I've been planning this ever since the fic ended and some of you asked me for more. And since 'Hokage High' ended in a bad ending, this one will probably end in a happy ending. Now I've had much more experience writing thanks to my multiple other stories and can now focus on the main character but at the same time through in the other couples. Alright people, I know you wanna read this badly, so… go ahead and read!

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of the show 'Naruto.' I only own my own characters, the plot and the reference to this story.

Dedication: To all of you who've read my previous story. The one leading up to this sequel. I'm glad that you wanted a sequel and since I hate disappointing people, here you all go!

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BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

Snooze.

She lifted her finger up from the snooze button. She had grown out of her habit of throwing her alarm clock out of the window. Slowly, she opened her eyes and looked at the small device. It was of her favorite cartoon, 'SpongeBob'. It was pink with SpongeBob and Patrick figurines at the top catching jellyfish.

A smile graced her lips and she rose from the bed. Yawning, she out-stretched her arms and took in a few deep breaths. Then she got up from the bed and bent down to touch the floor. She had to get her muscles awake for the day ahead.

Finally, she grabbed her towel and headed towards the bathroom.

Once inside, she stripped off her pajamas. She put them on the edge of the sink counter, knowing that she'll have to put them in her bag later. She then entered the shower and began washing up with her favorite scent. Before her favorite scent was of milk and honey, but now she loved the scent of bubblegum.

She spread the shower gel all over her body and then scrubbed with the sponge. She rinsed off her body and then began to wash her hair. The bubbled grew as she lathered, rinsed, and repeated.

She washed out the bubbles and then turned the water fully off. She stepped out and wrapped the towel around herself. She slipped her feet into her fuzzy slippers and then went to the mirror in the bathroom.

There she grabbed her brush and began to comb the tangles out of her long hair. She put the brush down and then went in one of the bags and grabbed her hair dryer. She turned it on after plugging it in and began to quickly dry her hair. She dried her bangs as well. Ever since she got them, she kept them. She loved the way they looked on her.

She then un-plugged the blow dryer and put it back in the bag. After combing her hair and adding a bit of oil, she put all of the supplies along with her pajamas in the bag and zipped it shut. She grabbed it and then headed back to her room.

There she took off the towel and began to put on the clothes that she had laid out on the dresser the night before. She slipped on her white under-wear with pink hearts and matching bra. Then she put on some deodorant and proceeded to putting on her shirt. It was a dark green polo shirt. She then put on her light blue skinny jeans with matching converses.

She looked in the small mirror in her bedroom and checked her appearance. She seemed fine for the first day but just to be sure, she grabbed the purse that hung from the door knob of the bedroom.

She searched through it until she was able to find what she needed. She applied the light pink lip gloss and the non-sticky clear coat above it. Then she added some black mascara and just a tiny hint of blush. She put everything away and then smiled at her appearance. Finally, she grabbed the comb on the drawer and began to pull her hair up. After tying it with a dark green scrunchie, she was glad with the way she looked.

She looked nice, approachable. She looked like… a college girl. She smiled at that. She was finally going. She was finally going to college! The butterflies in her stomach started acting up again but she ignored it. Instead she grabbed the bags that were still in her room –along with the alarm clock cause she couldn't forget that- and headed downstairs.

She put the bags down on the kitchen counter and took one last look around. The place now seemed so empty. It was almost terrifying to leave. But it was for the best, she had only rented the place for a while.

You see after high school ended, she packed up her stuff and got out of the house. Her friends had all gone their separate ways and she hasn't even talked to them ever since she left. She had rented a small one-room apartment in the city and called it her home.

Now, the little home would be empty until someone else could rent it out. For she was leaving for college today. She had taken care of all the rents and everything else a week ago. She had made enough money to pay all of them. The rent, water and heating bill. All of it was paid for and she was glad.

She sighed and then grabbed her keys off the kitchen counter. She went outside and opened the hood to her car. It was a Toyota Corolla. Not too big but at the same time not too small. It was one of the latest models. She had been so happy when she found out that her parents had gotten it for her for a graduation gift. And she had been even happier when she found out that she had gotten full scholarship to a great college.

She then went back inside and started loading the trunk of what was left. She had managed to get half of her stuff in last night. She didn't have much though. She hadn't bought any furniture for the house or anything. Why would she if just a few months later she would have to leave?

She loaded the last remaining boxes full of clothes and memories into the trunk. Then she closed it and went to loading the small bags. She put them in the back seat of the car and went to lock the doors of the house. She took one quick look around and smiled. She checked if she had forgotten anything and was glad to see that she hadn't.

She then locked the door and went back to the car. She got into the driver's seat and began to drive off to the main office of the landlord. She would have to return the key first before she could even consider heading off to her new home.

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She reached the large college a few minutes later. After dropping off the key and giving her signature, she drove off. Now here she was, looking at her new home. She was lucky to have been able to get a dorm room there. There were only about 50 left and with all the students applying there, she didn't think that she would get one. But the day her acceptation letter came and along with it a note saying that she had gotten a dorm, she freaked out.

She got out of the car and locked it. She pocketed her keys and headed for the main building. There, she would have to register and get the key to her dorm.

She walked through the sliding doors and instantly a glum expression reached her face. There were about five lines, all very, very long. She got into the one for registration and stood behind a boy with short brown hair.

She tapped her foot lightly against the white floor and waited patiently for her turn. Finally after what felt like hours, the boy left with his papers and she was now face-to-face with the registration woman.

"Name." the woman said.

"Haruno Sakura." She replied.

The woman flipped through the pages of the book in front of her. Sakura looked down at it and noticed that it was full of names with all the students. The book was excruciatingly large and she nearly fell over. Those were all the students that registered for the year? She felt nervous.

"Haruno Sakura… here you are." The woman said.

She looked away from the book to get something from under the desk. Sakura noticed that she seemed to be struggling and wanted to help but then the woman sat back up and placed a book on the table.

"Here's your student planner. Go to the library to get your books and schedule. They will also have the key to your room." The woman said.

"Thank you." She said.

Then she walked off. She already knew her way to the library and was glad that she came to orientation in July. She took the semi-long walk to take a chance at looking at the student planner. It was full of multiple pages with tips and other things like that. There was a calendar for the year and the rest of the pages were all blank. She assumed that they were for writing down her class assignments and test days.

She reached the library and held back the groan. There too was also a line of students. She really should've arrived earlier. Sighing, she got in line. It was that brown-haired boy again. This time she noticed that there were specks of blonde-hair. Guess that he dyed it. People would probably think that her hair's dyed as well.

She took a look around the library. There was a wall made of nothing but glass that provided an amazing view of the campus. She noticed that there were two stories and already students were there hitting the books. She noticed that in some places there were fake trees in woven baskets that gave the place a calming effect. Of course it was white and had several, several books.

It wasn't long before it was finally her turn.

"Hi there." the woman greeted.

She seemed younger than the one she met at the registration station. Sakura gave her a shy smile.

"Um hi… my name's Haruno Sakura and I'm here to pick up my books." She said.

Sakura felt so awkward. Of course the woman knew that she was there to get her books. Everyone else behind her was there to do the same thing.

"Of course sweetheart, just give me a minute to check what books you need." Said the woman.

She turned her attention to the computer beside her and Sakura heard the typing noise as each key was touched down. The woman then got up and left to a door behind her. They were at the receptionist's desk in the library.

Moments later the woman came back with a few books and grabbed something that had been printed out. The books were placed down and Sakura saw that there was a silver key attacked to a white tag at the top of the stack of books. That was her room key… her heart began to pound.

The woman scanned the stickers on the outside of the book and the one of the house key. She then handed her a small strip of paper and Sakura wrote her name on it. The woman then took the strip of the paper to reveal that it was actually a sticker and she placed it on the bottom end of the tag on the key.

"Here're your books and room key. Along with your schedule and student pass." Said the woman.

She didn't even notice the student pass. Apparently it was beside the computer screen and hung from a long strand of braided white rope. She put the student pass around her neck and noticed that it had her picture, name and ID number. She then grabbed the keys to her room, her class schedule and the three books.

"Have a nice day." Said the woman.

"You too." She said.

She had put her agenda at the top of the stack of books. Inside it was her schedule and she slipped the key into her pocket. She then began heading back to the car. She knew that the student dormitories were on the other side of the block.

She finally reached her car and placed everything on the hood of it so that she could un-lock the doors. She then opened the passenger's side and put the books and everything inside. She then closed that door and went to the other side and got back in the driver's seat. Turning the ignition on, she took one look at her room key, looped it on the same string as her student ID pass and then drove off to the other side of the college.

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When she reached the other side of the block she was greeted by a special surprise. She quickly parked, took the key out and opened the door. She then ran to hug her surprise.

"Mom, dad, what are you doing here?" she asked them.

"We came here to help you move into your new dorm." Said her father.

"Thank you, thank you, and thank you." She said squeezing them harder.

It would've taken her nearly forever to move her stuff from her car to her room one-by-one. That and she was so happy to finally see her parents again. It had been such a long time since she'd had any contact with them at all.

"You can thank us later, now let's get you moved in young lady." Said her mother.

She released the death-grip on her parents and opened the trunk of the car. She noticed that her father had brought along a handle truck to load a few of the heavier boxes on.

There weren't that many boxes though but she sure loved the fact that she wouldn't have to carry those huge textbooks up. She placed the last book on top of the stack of three boxes but kept her agenda in her hand. Her mother had grabbed the bags and her purse and she was left holding a few accessories like picture frames and a decorative vase.

They walked up the ramp leading to the main entrance. The dorms were split up into three building. One said was for boys, the other for girls. Both sides were connected into on large building that held a smaller library and a place for the students to hang out and relax.

She headed straight for the elevator on the left side and couldn't help but get a sense of nostalgia back. She shook it off and then pressed the button marked '4'.

"You live on the fourth floor? Good thing that they have this elevator." Said her father.

She couldn't help but giggle at this. Her father always found a way to make her laugh when she was feeling nervous. The metallic double doors opened to reveal the fourth floor. They got out and after getting out of the way of the elevator, they stopped. She put the things that she was carrying on the ground and looked at her room key.

"I live in room… 409." She said.

She grabbed the stuff again and started heading for room 409. She noticed that on each wooden door was a small white board where the girls that belonged there wrote their names. She noticed that some doors had three names on them and she couldn't hope but wish that she only had one room-mate.

They reached the door and she once again put the stuff down. She slipped the silver key into the lock and turned it. She then twisted the knob and opened the door. She grabbed the stuff and went inside only to have her eyes go wide.

The room was very spacious. It was light green on one wall and light blue on the other. There were three windows behind one of the beds. It was a single bed and when she looked around, she realized that there was also a double bunk bed.

'Man I get two roommates. I hope they're nice.' She thought.

She set the items that she was holding on the top of one of the drawers there and then helped her parents move the rest of the stuff in.

"Well, this certainly is a nice place." Said her mom.

"And look at the colors; it's very girl-like." Said her father.

She rolled her eyes at his statement. Of course the colors were girl-like. The people living in the room along with her are all girls. She loved her dad, but sometimes he could just be so slow.

"Ooh, Sakura-honey, I can't believe that this will be the room you'll be living in for the next couple years." Said her mom.

"I'm just glad that you're separated from the boys here." Said her father.

She rolled her eyes again. She couldn't believe that her father was worrying about boys. He let her live in a house with five other boys during her last year of high school. And now he's worrying about boys? He's so late.

"Would you like to have us help you un-pack?" asked her mom.

She turned her view from the middle window to her mother. There was some-what of a desperate look in her eyes and she just knew that her mother wanted to help her. But today, Sakura was a woman. And while she loved her parents, she couldn't always expect them to be there.

"No thanks mom, I think it's best if I do it by myself. I don't want to grow up always relying on you and dad." She said.

Her mother gave her a saddened look but then she smiled at her. Her mother came closer and then embraced her in a hug. She was a bit surprised at first but then she hugged her mom back.

"My little girl's so grown-up." her mom said.

She felt her mom release her grip on her and then watched as both her parents began heading towards the door. Her dad had the handle truck in his hands.

"Well, see you at Thanksgiving." Said her dad.

She smiled at him.

"Don't worry dad, mom, I'll always call you whenever I can." She said.

"I hope so. Bye princess." Said her dad.

With that her parents left the room. She could hear faint footsteps going down the hall and then nothing. She took in a deep breath and then let it out. This was her new home.

She took one last glance at the area outside and then began un-packing. She reached for the first box marked 'My Clothes'. She saw that it was filled with her underwear and began to put it away in the white drawer near the double bed. She saw that there was one big one with six sections and one little one with three sections. She decided that it would only be fair if she took three and let the other two roommates get three.

She managed to fit all her underwear in the first one and then opened the second box marked 'Toiletries'. She took that one in the bathroom –the polished wooden door next to the double bed- and began putting her stuff away.

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She twisted the knob to the door slowly and entered. She took a look around and noticed that there were boxes there already. She noticed that one of them was already opened.

She took a look around and saw three other beds. She threw her alligator-skin bag on top of the bunk bed. She then turned around and went back out the door to get her stuff. She had put all her stuff in luggage bags and rolled them in. after she set them next to the single bed, she took in a breath and then took a look out the window.

She heard someone walking and turned around. Her eyes widened at who she saw.

"Sakura!" she yelled.

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Sakura looked up from the brown box and met face-to-face with one of her two roommates. Her green eyes went wide and then she dropped eth empty bag.

"Ino!" she yelled.

She ran to the bleach-blonde-haired girl and they both hugged each other. She hadn't seen Ino in nearly forever and now she was her roommate. It was like the project all over again but this time, it was better.

"Oh my god, I missed you!" exclaimed Ino.

"I missed you two." She said.

Both girls released each other and then took in what they looked like. It had been so long that they nearly forgot what could happen to a person during the summer.

Ino's hair seemed a bit shorter. Before it reached her butt but now it hit her mid-back. She also noticed that it seemed like Ino had dyed her roots because they were a perfect bleach-blonde color. Ino was wearing a pair of white shorts along with a light yellow shirt with a smile-y face wearing sunglasses on it. Under it were the words, 'I Love Summer'. The blonde also wore some white flats with a yellow streak on each side.

"Wow… you cut your hair." She said.

"Yeah, I kinda felt like it was too long for my won good and decided to get it trimmed. But I'm sure it'll be back to its normal self within a few months." Ino said.

Sakura smiled and then looked at Ino's luggage. She noticed that it was the same ones from last year. She would've thought that with being all trendy, Ino would've surely bought herself new luggage.

"I see that you've also grown. Your forehead is a lot less big. It seems like you're growing into it." Said Ino.

Sakura smiled. She had noticed that fact a few months earlier. The reason she kept the bangs wasn't because she wanted to hide her forehead but because she was currently experimenting with her looks. She had thought of cutting her hair but decided against it.

"Wow, this is so awesome. You're my roommate." She said.

"Yep, now let's un-pack quickly so that we can start catching up." said Ino.

Both girls went over to their separate luggage and began fixing up their room. They both decided on sharing the bunk beds. Ino wanted the top and Sakura decided to get the bottom. They shared the six-section drawer and left the single bed to their last roommate.

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She both finished packing. All of their clothes were hung up in the large closet made for three and were just finishing up placing the multiple posters that they brought on their side of the wall.

Ino hung up the last poster and then got down from the bunk bed. She and Sakura both looked at the light green wall with smiles on their faces. The wall wasn't only decorated with posters but also pictures of them.

"Alright, that's everything. Now what do you say we dispose of these boxes and then head down to the local café?" said Ino.

"I'd say large espresso with foam please." Said Sakura.

They both giggled and then grabbed their separate keys to the room. They both kept their student IDs on and then headed out the door. Sakura locked it and then she and Ino began heading towards the elevators.

"This place is just beautiful." Said Ino.

They stepped into the elevator door and hit the 'lobby' button. The doors slid close and they began their descent.

"I know and it's full of beautiful boys." Said Ino.

Sakura giggled at this.

"I can't believe that you're still boy crazy Ino." She said.

"I'm not boy crazy, I just want a boyfriend. I haven't had in since… you know." Ino said a bit glum.

Sakura's eyes saddened as well. Ever since they had broken up with the guys about five months ago, she had never felt like trying to get another boyfriend. Sure they were no longer considered the losers of the school, and several boys asked her out but… she couldn't bring herself to say 'yes'. Not even to one of the cutest guys in the school.

"Yeah… I do know." She said.

The doors opened and they both stepped out. Since it seemed like Ino knew her way around the campus the best so far, she let her lead to the café.

"So… have you had a boyfriend yet?" Ino asked her.

"No." she said simply.

"Then perk up!" Ino exclaimed.

She looked at her friend like she was crazy. They were currently going down the steps to the side of the building that led away from the parking lot.

"Why?" she asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"Because Sakura, you're a free woman. Therefore until you get another guy, you can't act depressing." Stated Ino.

She smiled and laughed a bit. Ino was still crazy even after all these months. Sure her appearance changed but her mind hadn't. But then again, that was a good thing. Ino wouldn't be Ino is she changed herself.

"Honestly Ino, you're too crazy." She said.

"I'm not crazy, I'm just excited." Said Ino.

"Why?" she asked.

"Be-cause Miss Haruno, we're college girls. And college girls are considered at the top of the food chain." Said Ino.

They walked down some stone stairs, passing the lunch area where many of the students would go if they wanted to eat outside. There was a man there selling ice cream and on hot days like the one they're experiencing now, he was sure selling.

"And what does being at the top of the food chain have to do with anything/" she asked.

"Ugh Sakura, sometimes you make things too hard. I'll explain it to you after you get your coffee." Said Ino.

"Why after I get my coffee?" she asked.

"Because I know you, and I know that until you get some coffee into you, you won't pay close attention to what I have to say. And I have to say a lot." Said Ino.

Sakura rolled her eyes and looked up. There was a small shop ahead of them. It looked like a really trendy coffee shop and Sakura could almost taste her espresso in her mouth.

"Don't you think?" Ino said.

"Uh… what?" she asked.

Ino groaned and then grabbed her hand. Come on, let's get you that coffee and fast." Said Ino.

She let herself get dragged into the coffee shop and then Ino let her go. She headed straight for the line after Ino told her what she wanted, handed her the money, and then left for the bathroom. She got behind the person who was third from being next and took small look around.

The place looked like it was entirely made of wood. It gave off this cozy feeling that she loved. There was a small fire pit in a far off place in the room that looked like it had coal inside. It looked like they would light it during the winter time. There were wooden tables with plush, dark brown chairs cushioned by a light brown pillow.

She was so caught up in taking in the nice scenery she almost didn't notice that it was her turn.

"What would you like?" said the girl there.

"A vanilla frappuccino and an espresso with foam please." She said.

"That'll be… $3.50." the girl said.

Sakura looked up to hand her the five dollar bill that Ino gave her. That's when she saw who the girl was.

"Oh my god… Tenten." She said.

"Sakura? I thought I recognized that pink hair." Said Tenten.

She took in Tenten's appearance. Her hair was down but it was cut. It was cut at an angle where the front was longer than the back. She also noticed that Tenten had gotten herself an eye-brow piercing. Her hair was short now and it reached her neck. The long part reached the end of her neck.

"Wow, you look great." She said.

"You too. Let me guess, Ino's with you." Said Tenten.

"How did you know?" Sakura asked.

"Ino the only one out of all of us that likes vanilla frappuccino. And you wouldn't come here with some girl that you just met." Said Tenten.

"Right, here's the cash." She said.

"No no, it's on the house." Said Tenten.

"But won't you get in trouble?" she asked.

"Of course not. Besides, I'm only five minutes away from finishing this shift." Said Tenten.

Tenten turned around to make the drinks. Sakura put the five dollar bill in her pocket and then leaned against the counter. The smell of coffee made her stomach do flip-flops. She was so hungry.

"Hey Tenten, you guys sell anything to eat?" she asked her friend.

"Of course, want a free bagel?" asked Tenten.

"Please." Said Sakura.

She heard Tenten chuckle and then she noticed a flash of blonde hair. Ino walked over to her and then stood right next to her. The blonde then began tap-tap-tapping her nails against the hard wood. Sakura noticed that Ino applied some make-up to her face. It was simple though, just some lip gloss and eye shadow.

"How long does it take to get a coffee?" commented Ino.

"Watch it piggy before I add some poison to yours." Said Tenten.

Ino turned around and Sakura watched as her face lightened up.  
"Tenten, you go here too?" exclaimed Ino.

"Yep, here's your drinks along with your bagel Sakura." Said Tenten.

Sakura gladly took a bite of her bagel. She sighed in approval as she chewed the moist circular bread and then swallowed it.

"Thank you." She said to Tenten after she took a sip of her coffee.

"So Tenten, wanna hang with me and Sakura?" Ino asked.

"I'd love too but you have to wait for another… three… two… one… I'm off duty!" Tenten yelled back.

She ate her food as she watched Tenten put away the Starbucks green apron that she was wearing and then grab something from the back. When Tenten came out of the corner, she saw that what Tenten had grabbed was a coffee.

The three girls then went over to a near-by table where they began to sip at their drinks and catch up.

"I see that you've certainly changed Tenten." Said Ino.

"Thanks, I see the same changes in you Ino." Said Tenten.

Sakura didn't bother speaking. She was too focused on finishing the delicious bagel and drink. Her stomach beginning to feel better and better as both contents was slowly diminishing.

"So Sakura, you and Ino share a room?" asked Tenten.

She swallowed the amount of bagel in her mouth and then responded.

"Yep, there's one girl left but I'm sure that she'll be nice." She said.

"Who do you share a room with Tenten?" asked Ino.

"Actually, I'm still not sure. But I'm certain that she's already arrived. I got here yesterday because I was starting work today." Said Tenten.

She finished the rest of her bagel and was now only down to her coffee. She shook the liquid inside and it felt like there was only half a cup less. She took one-large sip and then put it down on the table.

"This is awesome, now that you're here, me and Sakura can have more fun than I planned." Said Ino.

"Oh my god Ino, can that wait until tomorrow? I mean me and you have only arrived today. Let's take a break." She said.

"A break? That word does not exist in my vocabulary." Said Ino.

"It does when you're working." Countered Tenten.

She laughed at this and looked at the expression on Ino's face. It was a mix of annoyance and happiness. It was a very odd combination but it sure was funny to look at.

"You two have gotten lazy. Come on, let's go out and check out the rest of this campus. Since you've been here longer Tenten, I'm sure that you'll be able to lead us to a good spot to check out a few guys." Said Ino. Her voice raised an octave at the last part.

"She still boy crazy?" Tenten directed the question at her.

"Apparently." She responded.

Ino shoved her and Tenten out of the seats by grabbing the collars to their shirts. It wasn't until then that she noticed what Tenten was wearing. The girl wore a black skirt that reached an inch above her knees along with a dark purple colored collared-shirt. And a pair of black flip flops.

"Look Ino, Tenten's wearing a skirt." She said.

* * *

Ino looked at Tenten's attire. Sakura was right, she was wearing a skirt. The only time that she ever saw Tenten wear a skirt was when they wore uniform during high school. But they were out of high school and Tenten had a skirt on.

"Yay! Tenten's embraced her girly side!" she exclaimed.

She noticed that a vein was throbbing in Tenten's head and that there was an amused look on Sakura's face. She let go of both of them and then looked Tenten up and down. Yep, Tenten definitely looked girly-er and that could only mean one thing…

"You have a crush on a guy!" she said.

* * *

Tenten stayed quiet after what Ino said. She didn't move or say anything. She just looked at the excited blonde. She then shifted her eyes to Sakura and began to send a playful glare towards her.

Sakura set her up. She was gonna get her back, oh yes she was. Then she returned her gaze towards Ino who had an expectant look in her eyes.

"No Ino, I don't have a crush on a guy." She said.

"Liar! If you don't have a crush on a guy then why are you dressed like this and made your hair like that?" asked Ino.

"Because, it's how I've been dressing ever since we got out of high school." She said.

Ino came closer to her and pursed her lips.

"Then tell me this Ten-ten… why do you have make-up on?" Ino asked.

She froze solid. How could Ino tell that she was wearing make-up? All she was wearing was some blush and a lip balm. Plus some eye-shadow but it was all barely noticeable.

She sighed and then looked away. A small blush became present on her face.

* * *

Sakura nearly choked on her drink. She took in the last of it and then threw the cup away. She now gave her un-divided attention to this new gossip.

"So it's true, you do have a crush on a guy." She said,

She watched with shock as Tenten slowly shook her head and then tried to keep up with Ino after she grabbed Tenten's hand and began to race out of the coffee shop. She managed to keep up and then finally got a chance to catch her breath when Ino stopped running after they reached a stone wall under a few trees.

"Ino, would you stop freaking out about it?" Said Tenten.

"Stop freaking out? Tenten, you have a crush on a guy. You never had a crush on anyone except… you know." Said Ino.

"So? I'm still a girl you know. I have the right to have a crush if I want to." Said Tenten defensively.

"Tenten… I… I didn't mean it like that. It's just that… well… I'm just a bit over-whelmed by everything. And this to me… is… so amazing!" exclaimed Ino.

Tenten pulled back one side of her hair so that it was behind her ear and then she sat down on the grassy floor. Ino sat down next to her and Sakura did the same.

She began to play with the blades of grass. They felt so nice under the palm of her hand.

"Hmm, I guess that I should be happy. It feels like old times you know. You flailing about everything and us going along with it." Said Tenten.

"But you have to admit, it feels nice." She said.

"No, it feels great!" said Ino.

* * *

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* * *

He pulled up to the college in his black corvette z06. He turned off the engine and then got out of the car. He locked the doors and began to head to the male dormitory building.

On his way there, he passed several girls who practically began to stare at him. He paid no attention to them at all. They weren't his type anyway. His type was probably an ocean away. At some fancy school in America or something. He would've used the connections his father had if it weren't for the fact that that just seemed to stalker-ish.

He headed towards the elevator on the right side and once inside pushed the 5th floor button. He leaned against the wall as the elevator began to go up 6 floors. He was at the lobby.

The doors finally opened and he stepped out. He then turned right and reached his room number. He took out the silver key that they had given him when he arrived three days ago and inserted it into the lock. He heard the click sound and then twisted the knob and pushed the door open.

"Hey teme, what's up?" said Naruto.

He rolled his eyes at the obnoxious greeting of his male best friend. He would've thought that the idiot had gotten slightly less annoying during the summer but he guesses that things never change.

"Dobe." He said.

He went over to his bed. He and Naruto shared a two bed room. The beds were both on separate sides of the room with a drawer in between them.

He went to his bed on the right side of the room. He collapsed on the bed and then looked up at the wall. The colors of the wall in the room were a grey and grey-ish blue. He liked the color scheme but apparently Naruto hated it because yesterday he went on and on about how the room seemed so dull and how they should brighten it up with some orange paint.

That earned Naruto a quick smack to the back of his head and then Sasuke left. He hadn't come back until now. Where he went, he'd never tell.

"Teme, I thought we were gonna hit the hoops today?" said Naruto.

He opened his eyes. He had closed them after he felt his body get cushioned by the bed. He turned his head to take a look at Naruto who he just noticed was wearing clothes that he always used to wear whenever he played some sort-of sport or something.

Sighing –and not really feeling up to an argument- he got up from the bed and then went to his closet. Their closets were divided, not joined. Each one was behind a door on the opposite side of the room.

"I'll meet you at the court. Let me change first." He said.

He heard Naruto bounce the basketball in his hands and then grab his key to the room. He could tell that it was his own key because he had his keys stuffed into his pockets.

"Alright, see you then." said Naruto.

The door was opened, and then slammed shut. He felt the pain in his head begin to sub-side because Naruto had left the room. Lately he's become less tolerable of Naruto but that was only because while he grew more mature, it seemed like Naruto grew immature.

He always thought that time was supposed to make a person age, not get younger.

He took off his shirt and then put on a plain white one. He then put on some sneakers after taking off his converses and headed out. Before leaving, he sprayed himself with some body spray and ran a hand through his hair.

He then left the room, locking it before heading over to the basketball court.

* * *

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* * *

"So, what have you girls been up to?" asked Tenten.

Tenten had just finished telling Sakura and Ino about her crush. Apparently he was a guy about a year older than her that she met when she went and got her piercing. They had talked and ended up going out once. But they had to separate when it came time to leave for college, but she was glad to find out that he went there too.

"I've been stocking up on my fashion skills. In fact, I'm planning on opening my own business when I graduate from here." Said Ino.

"If you want to be in the fashion business Ino, then why are you here?" asked Tenten.

"I happen to have gotten a scholarship here. This place could really help me learn a lot about running my own business." Said Ino.

"I see what about you Sakura? What have you been up to?" Tenten asked her.

"Nothing really. After we got out of high school, I rented my own apartment and lived there until now. But I'm hoping to become a doctor." She said.

"Nice." Said Tenten.

They were currently taking a stroll along the park. There were several people around them under trees or playing sports. The girls crossed began heading up the stairs that led to several stores on campus.

"Well forget about our future, think about the now and most importantly… us." Said Ino.

"I thought we were always important." She said.

"We are but, remember, we're here for more than one reason." Said Ino.

"Piglet, you've lost it." They heard.

They looked to the direction of which the voice came and their faces brightened. There stood the last two of their best friends. Both girls were standing side-by-side and eating ice cream.

"Hinata! Yayuki!" she screamed.

"Hey girls." Said Yayuki.

* * *

She licked her ice cream and gave them a shy smile. She then went over to them and gave them careful hugs. Hey, she just paid like 5 bucks for that fudge bar, she was not about to have it fall on the floor. And yes 5 bucks is an insane price for an ice cream but the college was exclusive.

"How've you been?" she asked them.

She pulled strands of rebelling hair behind her ear and licked her fudge bar. She took in their appearances and the first thing she noticed was that they each changed something about their appearance.

"We've been great. We were just talking about how important it is to focus on just ourselves." Said Ino.

"Actually Ino was saying that and me and Tenten were thinking that she was crazy. So, where've you two been?" asked Sakura.

"Well, I was on my way to the stores when I ran into Yayuki. She was buying herself some ice cream and offered to buy me some." She said.

"No wonder, if you ever lose sight of Yayuki look for the nearest ice cream supplier." Said Tenten.

"Hey I'm offended by that. Sometimes I could be shopping or relaxing." Said Yayuki.

"Yeah right." Said Tenten.

Hinata smiled. It felt so much like old times. She was so happy to have somehow convinced all her friends to stay in Japan. It was a good thing too. Ino was planning to go to Milan, Italy in order to attend some fashion school there. Sakura was about to head over to Germany and Yayuki and Tenten were about to go MIA.

* * *

Sakura pushed some loose hair back into place and then looked at the appearances of her last two best friends. Hinata had let her hair grow. It was now a few inches from reaching past her butt. She wore a summer-yellow sundress and matching flats. She seemed a lot less shy because she wore some make up and… hello what's that?

"You got a piercing." She said.

Hinata smiled at this. Before, the Hyuuga heiress didn't even go anywhere near something that could possibly remind her of piercings. And now, she had gotten herself two piercing. One for each ear.

"Yes, I got them after graduation. I went with Tenten." Said Hinata.

She then took in Yayuki's appearance. The girl was wearing a pair of jean shorts that reached her thigh. She also had on a light purple shirt that she noticed had chibi versions of all of them pressed onto it. She wore some white flip flops. She noticed that her hair still reached the floor and took close notice at the extras on her body.

"Let me guess, you also went with Tenten to get the piercings." She said.

Yayuki had gotten herself three extra piercings. She added one to both ears and there was a bar piercing on her left ear that went through the top of it. For some reason, it seemed to have worked for her.

"Pretty much, we tried calling you two to see if you wanted to come along but apparently, you were too busy." Said Yayuki.

Sakura scoffed, she remembered that call. It was at three in the damn morning. Who the hell would call someone at three in the morning just to see if they wanted to get a piercing?

"Mhm." She said with her lips pressed together and her arms crossed.

"Calm down Sakura, we just wanted to see if you or Ino would've liked to come along with us." Said Hinata.

"At three in the morning!" she exclaimed.

"Yes because at three in the morning is when you can get the best deals." Said Tenten.

She rolled her eyes and then gave them a soft smile. Her friends sure have changed in the time that they were apart. Ino was still rambunctious but seemed a lot more focused. Tenten was finally out of her full tom-boy faze and was wearing skirts and looking pretty. Hinata didn't seem shy at all and that was awesome because now they could have some real fun. And Yayuki didn't hide herself anymore.

All of her friends were now… just amazing. And she was very glad for this.

* * *

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* * *

They had been shooting hoops for the past couple minutes. They had been playing a game of basketball where very shot counted for three points. He was currently ahead despite the fact that Naruto was about an inch taller than him now.

Like how the fuck did that happen?

He ignored it and threw the ball. It spun a few times on the rim and then went in. he was now a good 12 points ahead of Naruto.

"Aw man, why do you keep winning?" complained Naruto.

"Because unlike you who spent his summer stuffing himself with ramen, I kept working out. I especially played basketball." He responded.

He snatched the ball form Naruto's hand and then dunked it.

"I did not spend my summers stuffing myself Sasuke." Naruto said.

"Prove it." He said.

To his surprise Naruto took off his shirt. This resulted in a crowd of girls slowly beginning to form as they kept playing. He noticed that some of them were form high school. He knew this because they were the ones pushing all the other girls away from the wall and giving them glares.

He ignored them and focused on his next shot. He jumped in the air, threw the ball and it went in. he smirked at this and then called it a game.

"I win dobe, now go buy me water as my first half of the prize." He said.

"First half?" asked Naruto as he put his shirt back on.

"Yep, the other half is you being my slave for a month. And after you get me my water, get rid of all these fan girls." He said.

He watched as Naruto frowned but went off to get the water. He smirked and then grabbed the basketball. Dribbling it a few times, he tossed it and watched as it once again went into the basket.

"Nice moves Uchiha." He heard.

He knew that voice. That damned voice that just annoyed him to hell. He turned around to come face-to-face with that very person. A vein throbbed in his head.

"Hyuuga, what do you want?" he said.

Neji came closer to him. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and stopped about a foot away from him. Sasuke took in his appearance. He seemed more… stoic than usual but at the same time a bit calmer. His hair was still long and he wore it in the same way as usual. But then again, guys never really change their hair style.

"Nothing Uchiha, I just wanted to see how you were doing." Said Neji.

He raised an eyebrow at the Hyuuga who just gave him a slight smirk. Yep, Neji had definitely changed in one summer. But he had to see if it was for better or for worse.

"Fine, what about you?" he asked.

"The same," Neji paused to take a look around. "I see that you've still managed to be able to get a crowd of fan girls around you." Said Neji.

Sasuke smirked.

"Of course, it's what I do." He said.

If there was one thing that he loved doing in those four years of high school, it was a secret competition that they had each month. It was to see who the best out of the group really was. Sasuke had always won. The competition required you to do something that would get a large mob of fan girls around you. Of course he would always do something that involved sports. And that's why he always won.

"Apparently." Said Neji.

He turned away form Neji for a moment to shoot the basket. To his surprise Neji had grabbed the ball and dunked it himself. His eyes widened for a moment and then he got over the shock. This change in Neji was bad. Because now he was more… normal making him a more challenging rival.

"Here's your ball Uchiha." Said Neji.

Neji threw it to him and then took a seat on a nearby bench. Sasuke scowled at him. He would not let this douche take over his college. And yes he's calling it his own because that's what it'll be like in a few months.

"Here's your water teme." Said Naruto.

He caught it just in time and then twisted the bottle cap off and began to gulp it down. When he was half-way done with it, he stopped drinking and twisted the cap back on. He then went and took a seat on the other end of the bench as far away from the Hyuuga as possible.

"Oh hey Neji, I didn't even see you there." said Naruto.

"Hello Naruto." Neji said.

He threw the basketball to Naruto who caught it. Then he took another sip of his water and took a look around the campus. His eyes stopped at a nearby tree when he saw a familiar figure.

"Guys come on, I found one of them." he said.

He got up and then hopped the stone fence. He heard two more thumps and just knew that it was Naruto and Neji. He may have changed over the summer but the Hyuuga was still his lackey. And he intended to keep it that way.

He then began leading them to the tree. Once they got there, he looked up to see the male figure sleeping. He noticed that he was listening to something on his IPod and this caused Sasuke to smirk.

"Wake up jackass." He said.

* * *

He felt the presence of people near him. He opened one eye to take a look around. He could faintly see figures under him and then he sighed. He sat up on the tree branch and then jumped off of it.

"Yo." He said as he put away his IPod.

He ran a hand through his slightly disheveled hair, knowing that that would fix it back to how it usually was.

* * *

Sasuke smirked. There was only one person left in his old high school crew not yet found. With all five of them back together, he could easily take over the college on student level.

"Hey Hitomi, what were you doing sleeping in a tree?" asked Naruto.

"I wasn't sleeping in a tree idiot, I was relaxing." Said Hitomi.

"How?" asked Naruto.

"None of your damn business how." Hitomi said.

He saw Naruto flinch a bit and back away. Sasuke smirked at this. Hitomi was still emotionless and violent. But it seemed like he had gotten even more violent ever since they had somehow convinced him to stay in Japan. This was good; an angry Itorashi Hitomi was like having an army to back him up.

"Where's lazyass?" Hitomi asked.

"In our room, I ended up sharing one with him." said Neji.

"Then I guess we're all back together. This is gonna be awesome, just like our last year of high school." Said Naruto.

"Let's hope it's not too much like our last year of high school." He said.

The memory still hurt to think of. Of her bubble gum hair and her sparkly green eyes, her cheery attitude and… the ring. The ring that he hoped she still kept.

"Whatever." Said Hitomi.

Sasuke had known the emo-boy for a long time now. And he could easily tell that Hitomi's 'whatever' was like his personal 'hn'. Meaning that it was a way to hide how he was truly feeling. But he didn't care. It made him stronger, hiding his feelings.

"Wanna hit the park?" asked Naruto.

Sasuke pondered about what to do. They could head over to the park and try to regain back their status there or they could just roam around the campus.

"No, let's just walked round the campus. But first, we're heading over towards Neji's room to grab Shikamaru." He said.

* * *

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* * *

"Man, why can't summer last forever?" she said.

She was laid out across the grass. Her pink hair released from its ponytail and sprawled out all over the green. The scrunchie she used to tie it up was on her wrist as if it were a bracelet. On her stomach was Tenten. Her head against her stomach with the rest of her body on the grass.

"Because, then we couldn't get fall and see the new fall fashions. And that's very important for me because I need to look at them for inspiration." Said Ino.

"Inspiration… for what?" asked Yayuki.

Ino was seated under the tree while Yayuki and Hinata were still eating their ice cream and were seated on the stone wall next to them.

"Ino wants to start her own fashion business. It's one of the reasons whys he worked so hard to get a scholarship to this school." She said.

"That's great Ino… I hope it works out." Said Hinata.

"Oh it will, I am 100% determined in getting my own fashion business." Said Ino.

"And what might I ask are you calling this future business of yours?" asked Tenten.

There was a silence and Sakura let out a sigh. Same old classic Ino, always thinking about the big picture and never the tiny details. She swears, sometimes she thinks that Ino might never had made it through those four years of high school without help from her.

"I'm not sure… but I'll tell you this, that name will be on the cover of every fashion magazine along with my picture." Said Ino.

Sakura laughed and played with strands of Tenten's short hair. She had to say, Tenten looked a lot better with short hair than long.

"Good luck with that pig." She said.

She looked up at the blue, blue sky form spaces in between the leaves of the large tree that they were under. She noticed that there wasn't a single cloud in the sky and she smiled. She hadn't felt this happy or relaxed in days. All of sudden the anxiety of college life just… left her after she saw her friends again.

"Man, I'm out of ice cream. Wanna come with me to get some more Hinata?" asked Yayuki.

"Sure, I could use a refill myself." Said Hinata.

"My god, Yayuki's turned Hinata into a version of herself." She said with a smile.

"Puh-lease, Hinata is a copy of me and Tenten. We spent like all summer hanging out with her. We tried to get you two to do a few things with us but you were always MIA." Said Yayuki.

"That's worst. It's the apocalypse!" shouted Ino.

Sakura laughed and so did Ino. They both were laughing so hard that they didn't notice until when they opened their eyes that Yayuki and Hinata had left to get their ice cream.

"Where'd they go?" she asked.

"They went back off to the lunch area to get some icees or something. I told them to grab me a grape." Said Tenten.

"What about us?" said Ino.

"You were the ones who laughed. So you get nothing." Said Tenten.

Sakura pouted along with Ino. That wasn't that fair. They wanted icees too. Well at least now they want some. The day was hot and their tongues were dry. They deserved icees.

"But knowing Hinata, she'll probably get you both something." Said Tenten.

She smiled, the pout now completely gone from her face. She always knew that there were many reasons why she just loved Hinata. And this was probably one of them. Hinata was always so kind, so sweet, so… Hinata.

She let out a happy sigh and continued to relax under the shade of the tree. If only summer could last forever. But there was only one month left before school would start. And she was making it her personal mission to make their last month of summer the best one ever.

* * *

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* * *

They were currently headed back to the girls. They had three five drinks with them. Hinata carried a grey carton with two of them while Yayuki carried one with three of them. They each had their drinks facing towards them and were taking sips of the icees every now and then.

"Coming through!" they heard.

They looked back to see a boy skate-boarding. He had a helmet on but they could easily make out the fact that he had brown hair. He skate-boarded towards them and they stepped back to move out of the way. To their surprise, he reached out, grabbed the carton that Hinata was holding and left.

"Hey!" Yayuki shouted.

The boy looked back but continue don his way. That's when both girls shared looks and then went after the douche. They found the girls on their chase and Yayuki dropped off the drinks, and then resumed to helping Hinata catch the douche that took their other drinks.

* * *

Sakura looked at the back of the running girl. Then she looked down at the carton that was filled with only three drinks. She got a slightly upset look on her face.

"Man, they didn't get us anything after all." She said.

"No, I'm pretty sure that they did." Said Tenten.

"What makes you say that?" she asked.

"Look." Said Tenten, she was pointing at some far off direction and Sakura strained her eyes to see what was going on.

Apparently, Hinata was chasing some guy on a skate-board. Behind her was Yayuki coming up fats. Nearly everyone in the park was stopping to look at them.

"I'll go help them out." Said Tenten.

She got off her stomach and then stretched a bit. Then Tenten took off running in the direction of which Hinata and Yayuki were. Sakura just sweat-dropped and looked at the three drinks in the carton. She shared a look with Ino ad they each grabbed one.

She took the light pink one while Ino took the yellow one. She took a sip of hers and instantly smiled. It was bubble gum flavored. This was so her day.

* * *

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* * *

They were currently headed towards the park. They were in the middle of the side-walk when they heard rolling wheels and some guy shouted at them. They looked back to see him skate-boarding while holding a carton of drinks in his hands.

He skated past them and a few seconds later they saw a girl chasing after him.

"Get back here!" she yelled.

They couldn't make out what she looked like because her bangs were constantly covering her eyes. After the first girl passed, they saw another one. They could tell that she had long black hair and that was it. She ran past them with an angry look on her face. Finally, the last girl ran past them. They noticed that she had short brown hair and seemed angrier than the other two.

After all three girls passed by they stood there staying at them.

"They were hot." Said Naruto.

Knowing that he couldn't deny it, Sasuke shook his head. They had just gotten Shikamaru out of the room and were currently stalking their way through the large campus field.

He ran a hand through his hair and continued walking. The others following close behind.

* * *

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* * *

A few minutes later, the three girls came back. They were all gasping heavily and Tenten was carrying two more drinks. They collapsed on the floor, the drinks carefully being placed down on the ground beside them.

"What happened?" asked Ino.

"Some bastard decided to jack our drinks. Me and Hinata were chasing after him which was tough 'cause the dude was riding a skate-board." Said Yayuki.

"We were finally able to catch him after Tenten showed up. He just handed over the drinks and told us to pass on a message." Said Hinata.

"What was it?" asked Sakura.

"Will you go out on a date with him Sakura?" said Tenten.

She stayed silent, shocked. That was the message? The guy wanted her to go out on a date with him?

"Ooh, Sakura has a secret admirer." Cooed Ino in a sing-song voice.

She blushed and silently sipper her drink. She was so happy to have the drink because if it weren't for it providing a temporary distraction for her mouth, she might just say something stupid.

"What did the guy look like?" asked Ino.

"He had… brown hair and… like blonde streaks. Pass me my raspberry icee." Said Yayuki.

She nearly choked on her drink. Brown hair and blonde streaks, could he be the guy she was standing behind in line earlier that day? It would make a small bit of sense though. But then again, she didn't even get a good look at his face.

"Was he cute?" Ino asked.

"That depends if you think dark blue eyes are attractive." Said Hinata.

She sucked in more her drink. He had dark-colored eyes. She always liked guys with dark-colored eyes. It was one of the reasons why she fell for… Sasuke. There breakthrough… after ever since the broke up she has never ever been able to say his name let alone think it.

Sasuke had the darkest eyes that she ever saw. They made him gorgeous and at times she thought that they flashed red. But that was only when he was at his angriest.

Maybe she should give the guy a chance? But then again she didn't even know him. And she didn't feel like being set up on a blind date.

She sighed and sipped her drink. College life was similar to high school. Luckily for her, she lived the full high school experience. All the good that could've possibly happened, and all the bad.

And she had scar on her hand to remind her of that.

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* * *

There you go! I realize that this wasn't the most exciting of chapters but it's only the first. I hope that you guys liked it. I worked on it practically all day. Also, here's the plan for future chapters. The first half will be about one of the separate couples and the rest will be about Sasuke and Sakura. And by that I mean like the first half a new chapter. That way I can squeeze in the other character couples and still keep it a main Sasuke and Sakura fic. See, the perfect plan. I just wished that I had thought of that before. Of course this plan won't come into action until a few chapters from now. As for the next upcoming chapters, it's strictly Sasuke and Sakura. Anyway, hope that you liked this!

Xoxoxo Chibi Star Vamp


	2. A Kiss Underwater

Okay, I know that a lot of you have been waiting for the second chapter of this even though you wouldn't admit it so here it is! And I'd just like to say one thing, I've gotten better right? And the reason I'm making this sequel is not just because of the numerous reviews I got asking me to make it but also because I want to see how better this is. So like if someone hated the last one, then they would probably read this one and go like, 'Oh man, she got better' or something like that. Anyways, on with the story!

Disclaimer: I only own my characters, the plot and the made-up college. Everything else isn't mine.

Dedication: To anyone and everyone. Except if you've been a murderer, serial killer, rapist, drug dealer etc. All of those things are just wrong.

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* * *

She awoke to the squeaking of the door. She had become a light sleeper over time. It explains why now she could easily wake up whenever her alarm clock activated at exactly 8am every morning. She was glad that it was summer and that she could get an extra hour worth of sleep. Now she could do this all the time because her classes don't start until 9:10 every day. But classes aren't 'til September and it's only the first week of August.

She fluttered her eyes open. Rubbing them with her left hand as her right hand supported her body as she proceeded to get up. She looked at who had opened the door and her mouth nearly dropped.

"Karin." She said.

It was as if all grogginess had left her system the second she spotted the crimson red hair of her worst enemy. Almost instinctively she looked at the scar on her hand. The one Karin had given her in high school by throwing a knife at her because of Sasuke.

"Oh hell… you're my roommate?" Karin said as she brought her stuff in.

She noticed how Karin's eyes then shifted to the top of the bed. She got up off of hers, sliding her feet into the slippers. She saw that Ino too was awake.

"And pig nose over there as well? Ugh great, this is just great." Karin said.

"We aren't too happy about this either." She said.

Never in a million years would she have thought that he second and lat roommate at the college would be Karin. She had heard rumors going around school in the final moth that Karin was being sent to a military school along with her sister. But apparently some rumors –well mostly all rumors- are never true because at the moment she was staring at the feisty red-head herself.

Ino had gotten off the bed and then went into the bathroom. It seemed like Karin being their roommate didn't bother her so much. Why would it? After all, Karin didn't try to kill her in high school. But that was it right there. That was in high school. They're in college now, and maybe they can just let bygones be bygones?

"Listen Karin…" she started.

"Look Sakura, I really don't give a crap that you and what's-her-face are my new roommates. Because I don't like you and you don't like me. So how about we not like each other and ignore the other?" Karin said.

She was stunned at how Karin had slightly changed. Before she was sure that Karin would complain and complain. Then go over to the Dean's office and demand that she get another room which might've ended up in her getting kicked out of the college.

"O… kay." She said.

"Good now go on with your business." Karin said.

She heard the shower water turn on and knew that Ino was washing up. Deciding to do as Karin instructed –which she thought of doing first, Karin was just the first one to voice it- she headed over to the dresser with the mirror and began combing her long pink hair. Karin began to unpack her stuff.

Looking into the mirror she saw that there were still a few remainders of the glitter that Ino had forcibly put in her hair the night before. They had decided on doing make overs like when they were little. It was the perfect way to catch up on what they did over the summer.

She began to brush the glitter out her hair and then proceeded to comb the tangles out. There weren't that many because she had slightly put it up. But of course she still moves a lot in bed and her hair would get slightly loose as the night goes by. She finished combing the tangles and then tied her hair up in a messy bun as ten sat back on her bed. Turning to check the time, she saw that it was a little over 8.

Taking out her phone –which she brilliantly remembered needed charging right before she fell asleep- she decided to text her friend and see if they were awake yet.

* * *

To: Musicluva4eva; Killer; Snow White

From: Cherry Queen

U guys awake yet?

-Loving Life, Sakura

* * *

She sent it and then laid her head back down on the bed. Staring up at the wooden piece that hung the mattress that was Ino's bed over her head, she traced a few of the wooden patterns of it with her finger on the hand that held her cell phone. Her phone buzzed and she checked the message.

* * *

To: Cherry Queen; Killer; Snow White

From: Musicluva4eva

I hate college

-Listening 2 me IPod, Yayuki

* * *

She raised an eyebrow at this. Why would Yayuki hate college? Yesterday she seemed to have really liked it. She was about to text her back when the door to the bathroom opened. She saw Ino come out with only a towel clad on her body. Knowing that if she didn't hurry up, Ino might go into the bathroom again and take over an hour, she quickly texted Yayuki back a one-word response… and headed towards the bathroom.

* * *

To: Musicluva4eva; Killer; Snow White

Y

-Loving Life, Sakura

* * *

She groaned as she turned in her bed to begin her morning ritual of waking up. Moving her legs from there comfortable position on the bed she placed them as close to the floor as she could then moved her upper body sideways to get up.

She stretched back words and then let out a sigh. Scratching her head a bit, she noticed that her cell phone was blinking indicating that she had a message. She grabbed the small device –which was like her life- in her hand and then flicked it open and looked at the message.

* * *

To: Musicluva4eva; Killer; Snow White

From: Cherry Queen

U guys awake yet?

-Loving Life, Sakura

* * *

Smiling a bit, she looked to her side at her roommate. Her phone was blinking as well but she was still peacefully asleep. She saw that there were two more messages there and quickly checked them out.

It confused her as well as to why their rainbow-haired hated college already. They hadn't even started classes and already she hated it. But of course she knew that there must be a good reason. So deciding that she too was curious just like Sakura, she began to text her replies.

* * *

To: Cherry Queen; Musicluva4eva; Snow White

From: Killer

I'm awake, not Hinata. Wat's up?

Y do u hate college already?

-Killer of the Century, Tenten

* * *

Sending the message off, Tenten then proceeded to look out the window of their room. It provided a good view of the large field. Already she could see several students –males mostly- awake and playing football or soccer or something.

She smiled with delight as she caught sight of the familiar mop of blonde hair. She still wasn't sure that it was him but just to make sure she grabbed a pair of binoculars –which conveniently hung from a nail that she put up right next to that specific window- and focused on the blonde hair.

"Yes." She silently said.

It was him alright. And bets of all, he was shirtless so she could easily see his well-sculpted muscles. Sadly her 'observation' (when did she turn into Ino?) was cut short when she heard the vibrating sound of her cell phone on the wooden drawer next to her.

She stopped her 'observation' for a few moments to check out the message that she had received. Turns out that it was actually two pairs of messages… oh great.

* * *

To: Cherry Queen; Killer; Snow White

From: Musicluva4eva

Wait, ur awake and Hinata's not? How did that happen?

I hate college because I have a horrible roommate… Minamo

-Listening 2 me IPod, Yayuki

* * *

To: Musicluva4eva; Killer; Snow White

From: Cherry Queen

Yea Tenten, how is it that ur awake and not Hinata? It's usually the other way around. Congrats though.

Minamo's ur new roommate? Wat a coincidence, Karin is me and Ino's last roommate.

-Loving Life, Sakura

* * *

She felt bad for her friends. They both got stuck with their worst enemies. But at the same time she was slightly mad at them. It is not the first time that she's woken up before Hinata. There have been several other occasions. She was the one to wake Hinata up the day that they went to get the piercings.

Slightly angry at the fact that they don't believe in the fact that she could be the first to wake up –and the fact that they're cutting into her 'observation' time- she angrily texted her message and then turned off her phone and resumed to looking at the pretty, older boy.

* * *

To: Cherry Queen; Musicluva4eva; Snow White

From: Killer

4 ur information, I have woken up before Hinata several times before. So it's nothing new!

Hahaha! That's wat both of u get. Hinata's my roommate (in case u couldn't figure that out).

Signing off… met u the court 10 (am).

-Killer of the century, Tenten

P.S. The Food Court at the Lunch area or whatever u call it

* * *

She finished getting dressed and looked at the message that Tenten had sent her. She slightly began to glare at the phone. Tenten was lucky. She got a totally awesome person as her roommate. And Sakura also got a good person. But she was stuck with a horrible person and –unlike Sakura- she didn't have a third roommate who was her friend to help her out and keep her safe.

She then read the rest of the message and nearly smiled. The Lunch Area would be the perfect spot to cool down after the bad news that she received last night. Minamo had come into the room at 9pm and they glared at each other then spoke. Turns out that the Dean –who must've not heard about their past- had put them in the same room together. The idiot.

Finishing adding the puff ball hair tie to her high ponytail, Yayuki checked herself fin the mirror. She looked nice. She wasn't wearing too much make-up- just some lip balm and black eyeliner. Her clothes were perfect for the weather and her teeth were white-as-white can be.

Grabbing her keys, cell phone and student pass –which was lopped around her neck- she headed towards the door. She didn't bother making sure if Minamo would damage her stuff or something. She had all of it locked up with a personal lock that her dad made for her. And the master key was hanging from her neck.

* * *

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* * *

He wasn't sure at what he was gonna do that day. He had just woken up and he didn't feel like moving around so much. Ever since high school ended, he had gotten just the slightest bit lazier than usual. If that was even possible.

Just as he came to the conclusion that he was just gonna doze off back to sleep, his cell phone began ringing. He cursed the day that the little devices were invented.

"What?" he asked as he took the call.

"Sasuke wants us to meet him at the Lunch Area in 10." He heard Hitomi say. He sounded just as annoyed as him at the moment.

He glanced at the clock. It was just about 9:41 at the moment. It wasn't even close to lunchtime. They should actually be having breakfast right now.

"Tell him I'll meet you there in 20, when it's a lot closer to lunch time." he said.

"You tell him. I'm busy." Said Hitomi.

He let out an agitated groan.

"Fine then." he said.

He hung up the call and the stared at his phone for a few moments. Then after letting out a sigh, he dialed Sasuke's number and waited for the Uchiha to pick up. When it sent him directly to voice mail, he decided to leave on instead.

"I'll be there at 10." He said.

Then he hung up and stared at the ceiling. His roommate had gone out. To his somewhat displeasure, he and Neji were roommates. But then again, they both didn't speak that much and hated having to deal with people. So he guesses that they were okay.

Looking at the clock one more time to check the time, he decided that instead of sleeping the day away like he wanted, he might as well start to get ready to head over for the Lunch Area.

He was only in his underwear you know.

* * *

He smirked as he watched the baseball game. His team was ahead by about 20 points and the game was nearly over. And best of all, he had made a bet with each one of his friends on which team would win and which team wouldn't. It looks like he's about to win himself five hundred dollars.

"Strike three?" he shouted to his dismay.

The loser who was at bat had just struck out. And worst of all is that the teams were now switching positions. Taking a sip out of his soda can he looked back at the TV. One strike made no difference in the game… his team was still ahead… all was good.

"Hey Naruto." He heard.

He looked at the direction in which the voice came. They were currently in the lounge in the center building that connected the boy and girl dorms. Of course the lounge was made to apply to the needs of both male and female students. So there was a pool table, big screen TV, soda machine, some bean bag chairs and a whole lot of other stuff.

"Hey Hitomi." He said.

Hitomi took a seat next to him and his eyes focused on the game. He wanted to see the shock look on Hitomi's face when he realized that the team he had bet for was losing by twenty… eighteen… sixteen… thirteen… what the fuck?

"I see they're catching up." Hitomi said.

"Yeah…" he said a bit sadly.

He watched with slight anger as the opposing team kept getting nothing but home-runs. How was that even possible? There was no way that a baseball team could make that big a come-back that quickly. He watched closely as the next player came to bat. He read the name and number of the player and then he saw the name of the team that the guy played for.

"Hitomi you cheater." He said.

Turns out that the name of the baseball team that his team was playing against, was the one that he recalled Hitomi telling him that he bought. It just wasn't fair. He was gonna lose a good three hundred dollars to Hitomi because of the special training that the players had received.

"It's not cheating Naruto… its luck." Hitomi said.

'Luck my ass.' He thought.

He was on edge as he the number of home runs that the team kept hitting. The announcer was of course commenting on this and that didn't exactly help his anxiety. He thought of just handing over the money to Hitomi at the moment or calling the bet off.

"Hey Hitomi… you think that we could… I don't know… call the bet off?" he asked.

He tried to make it sound as casual as he possibly could. He didn't want to make the older male believe that he was scared –which he was- at the fact that he could lose all that money, so he said it as if he had just thought about you. You know, just throwing the line in the water.

"Not happening Naruto. It was your idea to make the bet and now you have to follow through." Hitomi responded.

He began to sulk in silence as he realized that his team was now the one behind. But then as he saw the teams change positions again, he thought that there just might be a tiny spark of hope in the black cloud of his defeat.

* * *

She checked the time and saw that it was just 10. Exactly one hour ago, she had found out that her second and last roommate was Karin. And to her surprise –and relief- they hadn't killed each other yet. In fact, she hasn't even said one word to Karin since they decided to just ignore one-another.

"Ino would you hurry it up. Tenten's probably already there waiting for us along with the others." She said.

"Well excuse me for trying to look good unlike you Miss Bossy Pants." Said Ino.

She rolled her eyes and then began to make her bed. Despite her chewing out Ino for taking too long to do her make-up, she hadn't quite finished her stuff either. Yes she was dressed, primped, polished and ready for the day, but her bed wasn't exactly the nicest or welcoming of places at the moment.

She smoothed out the sheets as she tucked in the corners of the bed spread and made it neat. She then began to fold up the blanket. Once she was done with that, she put the blanket under her pillow and looked upon her neat bed.

"All done." She said softly.

"Great, now let's go." Said Ino.

She smiled at her blonde friend and then grabbed her stuff. She put them in the pockets of her capris and then looked around the room. She noticed that Karin was on the bed and for a moment their eyes met.

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna do anything." Karin said in a mocking tone.

She rolled her eyes at the red head and then left with Ino. As she walked down the hall, she couldn't help but think back at what happened yesterday. Over the night, she had pondered about what to do with the guy. He seemed nice and he did go through a lot of trouble just so that she could know that he wanted to ask her out. But then again, she liked guys who could just say things you know.

If he really wanted her to go out on a date with him, he would just say it. Although, she had to admit that it was slightly cute, what he did. And funny too. I mean, making Hinata and Yayuki along with Tenten chase him just so that they could pass the message to her was hilarious.

"Hell-o~, Earth to Sakura. Come in please." Said Ino.

"Uh… what?" she asked.

"Man Sakura, pay attention already. You almost ran into the wall." Ino said.

She shook her head and then blinked a few times. She then tried with all her might to focus on what Ino was saying.

"I mean honestly, what is your problem lately? It seems like all you do is space out on me." Ino complained.

They entered the elevator and she pressed the button leading to the lobby. Ino was still complaining and every now and then she would mutter something to make it seem like she was actually paying attention. But truthfully, she really couldn't care.

"And then you went all depressed on us after you broke up with Sasuke." She heard Ino say.

She tightened her fingers into a fist. Even though it had been months since they've broken up, she still wasn't able to hear or think Sasuke's name without getting angry or upset. Angry because after their break-up, he kept on ignoring her and treating her like she wasn't a real human being. Upset because she never wanted to break-up with him. She was forced to do so because of that demon witch who was now her roommate.

She would've thought that over the summer, she'd get over everything that happened to her in her final year of high school. But apparently one summer isn't enough to get over it. She might even need counseling or something. Nah, counseling will be her last resort if she still can't get over Sasuke. And she will.

"Come on Sakura!" she heard Ino scream at her.

She looked at her blonde friend and saw that she had her hands on her hips and was tapping her foot against the floor. She also came to the realization that the elevator doors were open and Ino was on the other side.

"Oh right… sorry." She said as she too stepped out and the metallic elevator doors closed behind her.

Ino sighed and then looked at her with a soft smile on her face. She knew that smile. It was the one that Ino always used when she was about to start making sense. Or in her view point, that's what she thought.

"Sakura… you have got to start paying more attention to things. We aren't in high school anymore. These people won't think twice about kicking us out if we don't pay attention. And that would be a waste of hard work Miss Haruno." Ino said.

Honestly, she still couldn't get over the fact that Ino had actually matured over the summer. Not just in her looks but in her mind as well. Sure she was still boy crazy but she seemed a lot smarter than before.

"Okay Ino, I promise that I'll try to start paying more attention to things. I swear." She said.

"Really?" Ino asked with a blonde eyebrow raised from her visible eye.

"Really." She said.

"Great!" Ino exclaimed. Then they both began walking out of the building. "So tell me this Sakura… what do you keep thinking about?" Ino asked.

She looked down at the concrete steps of the building. As they went down each one she blinked to match her steps. Then she looked back up as they started along the path that led to the Lunch Area and she smiled at Ino.

"Things… certain things." she said.

"What the hell does that mean?" Ino asked. She was about to answer when Ino opened her mouth up again to speak. "Forget it. We'll talk about it later. Right now, let's get us something to eat and then hit a few of the stores here." She said.

She smiled at the idea of hitting a couple shops. It had been a long time since she and Ino had a good shopping session. The last time was when they went looking for graduation and prom dresses. That was nearly three months ago! So you could probably say that she was anxious to go out and do some browsing with her best friend(s). She would probably talk the others into going as well.

They reached the Lunch Area as she finished her thoughts. Ino hadn't even spoken out once, and she was very glad for that little factor. Almost immediately the managed to find their friends –minus one.

"So what's up girlies?" Ino asked as they both took seats at the table fit for five.

"I'm not sure… I just woke up." Hinata said softly.

You could tell that she wasn't lying. Her hair was a slight mess and she knew that it got on Ino's nerve because the blonde got up and then went over to the fairy-girl and began fixing her hair. There were also slight bags under her eyes.

"I manage dot find my guy. Well not my guy but you know what I mean." Tenten said.

"Well Sakura keeps spacing out on me." Said Ino as she began to braid Hinata's dark blue hair down her back.

"But that problem will be solved later. I just need to talk a little." Said Sakura.

"And talk we will… right after we get some food and go shopping." Said Ino.

She rolled her eyes. She knew that by that Ino meant that they'll talk DURING shopping not after. Ino never waited to try and solve problems in private. Unless they were incredibly serous. But hers wasn't that serious. Just a little bit of confusion. Confusion can be easily solved.

"So… are we gonna get food or what?" Tenten asked.

"Of course Tenten, we're just waiting for Yayuki." Hinata said.

Tenten groaned and then looked at her watch.

"It's nearly 10:20, that girl is way late." Tenten said.

"Well you never know Tenten, she and Minamo could've gotten into a huge fight which might have resulted in them being in the hospital." She said.

"Doubt it." Tenten responded.

Just then she noticed the familiar hair. Brown with specks of blonde that reminded her of streaks of lightning. It was him, that boy who wanted to go out on a date with her. Their eyes met for a moment and she realized that they were a really dark blue, just like Hinata had said before.

He turned away and she looked at the table. He really was a pretty cute guy. And he seemed to be nice as well. And a bit of an athlete. She wasn't sure if skate boarding could be considered as an athletic sport but since there are many people who sponsor several skate boarder, she was letting it go into that category. And after all, maybe he's just what she needs to get over her last break-up?

Let's check.

"Hey girls," she said breaking the silence. They all looked towards her and she took a deep breath before finally speaking. "I was thinking… maybe I should take up the guy's offer?" she said.

"Yes! Do it, do it, do it!" Ino nearly screamed.

She noticed how instead of what would usually have happened in high school whenever Ino screamed like that, the people around them didn't even bother to glance at who had made such an annoying outburst.

"In a more civilized manner," started Hinata as she gave Ino a slight glare. "I think that you should take him up on his offer Sakura. He went through a lot of trouble just to get us to follow him so we could pass on the message." Hinata said the last pair with a smile telling that she thought that it was funny.

"I'd have to agree with them Sakura. I mean who knows, he could be your prince charming." Tenten said.

She thought about everything that her friends said. They all seemed up to it. In fact some were more than enthusiastic about the idea (Ino). And she really cared about what her friends thought about her beginning to date. It wasn't that she didn't want to feel like she was cheating on Sasuke or anything, but she'd just hate to date a guy that none of her friends like.

"Okay then," she came to the conclusion. "I'll go tell him that I accept." She said.

"That's my girl." Said Ino.

She got up from her chair and then went in the direction of which the guy was. She started getting butterflies in her stomach as she approached him and his friends. She could easily tell that that was him because he was doing a few tricks on the rim of the water fountain. His hair was very easy to spot as well.

As she approached him, she saw how some of his friends were now looking at her. She felt like blushing at color that would make her hair seem normal. But instead she held her head up high and approached him with the utmost confidence (she thinks).

"Um… hi." She said as she finally reached him.

There was an awkward silence and to her it seemed like he was trying to register what was happening in his mind.

"Oh hey… hey!" he said. Finally, the mechanisms in his brain began to work.

He kick-flipped his skate board into his hands and she thought that it was pretty cool. He then looked at her with warm dark blue eyes. Wow, he was cute.

"I'm Sakura and about yesterday… you know what you told my friends… I'd love to." She said.

"You would?" he said. It sounded like there was a tiny hint of disbelief in his voice but she could see how his eyes nearly sparkled with excitement.

"Of course." She said.

"That's um," he cleared his throat. "Great! Really great. So what's your room number?" he asked.

"First, tell me your name." she said.

She wasn't about to go out with a guy who's name she didn't know. It would just be awkward to ask that while they're on their date. And if there are anymore she wants to be able to tell her friends about it while using his name.

"Atsushi, my name's Atsushi." He said.

"Well then Atsushi, my dorm number is 409." She said with her hand on her hip and a playful smile on her face.

"I'll pick you up Saturday night at 8?" he asked.

"That depends, morning or night?" she asked.

He laughed a bit and she felt her heart flutter with excitement. He had the nicest laugh ever.

"Night, unless you'd like to get bothered by people during the morning?" Atsushi said.

"Night is perfect, see you around." She said as she began to turn around to walk away.

"Okay then, bye Sakura!" he yelled.

"Bye!" she yelled back.

She turned back around and began heading back to her friends. The entire time she couldn't help but think a bit about him. Okay not a bit but a lot. He was nice, funny and… really, really cute. But what she liked most about him was how he made her feel. How his laugh –which she had only heard once- made her happy. How when his dark eyes shined, they made her feel like nothing could touch her. But most of all, how he just seemed so perfect for her.

"So how'd it go?" Ino asked as she took her seat at the table.

"It went great. Atsushi is so nice and funny. He's picking me up Saturday at 8." She said.

"So his name's Atsushi? Figures, I always liked the name Atsushi. And now one of my best friends is dating a guy with that exact name. It was meant to be and I think I already like him." Said Tenten.

"Judging by that smile on your face Sakura, I like him already too." Said Hinata.

She felt even better than before. Not only did her friends already like him –which was one of her fears that they wouldn't- but she couldn't stop smiling. Atsushi was like sunshine to her now.

He'll definitely help her get over the dark cloud that was Sasuke that still hung over her head.

* * *

Running a hand through his raven hair, he waited impatiently for the rest of his friends. He knew that Shikamaru wouldn't come until it was –wait a second, it was past ten. Where the hell are those idiots?

He was getting highly annoyed waiting for them. Since they still hadn't made their appearance, a bunch of girls had tried to sit with him at the table. He gave them all cold glares and they quickly backed off after they got the hint. Some time it took a while for the message to get through because the majority of the girls went to high school with them. And they were slightly used to his glares. But after he gave them his colder glare, they left. This left him alone at the table once again like he wanted.

"Hey teme!" he heard.

He already knew who that voice belonged to. Looking up from his phone –he had pulled it out because he was about to texts those idiots- he met the bright smile of his best friend. Behind the blonde one was the emo one.

"Naruto, Hitomi." He said.

They took a seat at the table and he looked at them. He noticed that Hitomi had a hood on his head and was wearing all black. Honestly, people may call him emo but Hitomi took the cake for that one.

"Sorry about the wait Sasuke, but we were watching the game." Naruto said.

"Ah yes, the dreaded baseball game that we all placed bets on. So tell me Naruto, who won?" he asked.

From the way that Naruto's expression seemed less… sunshine-y and how Hitomi was close to smirking, he already knew that turn outs of the game.

"You, Shikamaru and Neji owe me." He said.

"Yeah I know." Naruto said as if it were no big deal. But he was sure that Naruto knew what would happen if he didn't get his money. A bet's a bet, and Naruto had to honor that.

"Uchiha."

Speak of the devil.

"Hyuuga, glad to see that you two finally decided to join us." He said.

"We were busy." Neji said.

"Busy doing what? Screwing each other in the ass?" Hitomi commented.

He didn't bother to hide his amused smirk. The look on Neji's irritated face was very funny. And the fact that Hitomi said it with no emotion –and his face still didn't show any hints of amusement on it. Jeesh when Itorashi Hitomi goes emo, he goes emo.

"Screw you Hitomi." Neji said.

"No thanks, you've got Shikamaru for that." Hitomi said.

Naruto was near close to falling on the floor laughing his ass off. Even Shikamaru –who himself was a target of the insult- looked like he was enjoying the banter between both males.

"Alright shut up," he said. He was getting tired of it –no matter how amusing he found it. "I think we can all agree that we're hungry… right?" he asked changing the subject.

"Of course teme, I haven't had anything to eat at all." Whined Naruto.

"Okay then, so how about you go get us some food Naruto?" he suggested,

"What? No, go get the food yourself." Naruto said.

"Do I have to remind you of yesterday? When you lost the basketball game?" he said.

Naruto let out a sad sigh. He smirked as Naruto got up, asked what they wanted, was handed the money and then left to go get the food. An eerie silence fell upon the table as the four of them didn't bother to break it.

Their attention was diverted to a passerby. Not just any passerby but a special passerby.

* * *

She stood there near the snow cone cart. She had become slightly addicted to sweets than she usually was. She found that it was an easy way to get over some loneliness that she had recently been feeling. But she doesn't always turn towards sweets –and despite her large craving for the delectable treats, she still maintained her weight. How, she still exercised every day at the gym.

But of course, there were other ways to help with her loneliness.

"Hello babe." She heard.

An instant smile appeared on her face. Taking a few more licks of her snow cone, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her small waist. Then she was pressed back against a chest that she knew all too well.

"Hey," she said softly.

She turned around and he let her go. He knew that she didn't like being held when she was speaking to him. She would always lose her train of thought and that would annoy her. And as he's told her several times before, he hated whenever she was annoyed.

"I thought you were still sleep." She said.

"Well as much as I would've loved continuing to dream about you, I figured that seeing you in person is much better than in a dream." He said.

She giggled at him. He was very cute when he wanted to be. And he did help her feel better whenever she felt guilty over their relationship.

"So Yayuki," he said as he took her snow cone away from her and licked it himself. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to the movies tonight. I figured that you could use a night out considering the fact that my sister's your roommate." He said. She pouted a bit at the fact that he was still eating her snow cone. But then he handed it back to her and she resumed eating it.

"Can you? I mean we haven't fought yet but I and your little sister still aren't on good terms." she said.

It was true, she was dating Miomi -and for a while now too. Yes she knew that he was part of the fact that she and… that guy broke up (it still slightly hurt her to think of him), but during the summer she gained a new respect for him. He had told her how bad he felt about everything that he did and how he wanted her to give him second chance. She gave it to him –she was very high on forgiveness.

Then slowly, they became friends. They hung out for a few days, sometimes even nights. They talked on the internet and on the phone several times. And then one day, he took her to an amusement park. That's when she decided that she liked him and eventually they became boyfriend and girlfriend. But she hasn't told the girls yet.

"Well then, I'll pick you up later at around 10. Is that okay?" he asked.

"It's perfect." She said.

He kissed her on the cheek and she smiled at him. Then he turned around to walk away but stopped and spoke to her again.

"When are you gonna tell your friends?" he asked.

She stiffened a bit. She took a few licks of her snow cone, munched some of the raspberry-flavored ice and then let out a breath of cool air.

"Soon… I'm thinking today." She said.

"Okay then, I'll call you later Yayuki." He said.

"Bye Miomi." She said.

"Bye love." He said.

Then he went off. It hurt her a bit inside. Not the keeping the relationship a secret part but the fact that Miomi had just called her 'love'. He had told her that he loved her before several times but she could never find the courage to say the words back to him. Her heart said that she liked him –enough to make him her boyfriends. But she just didn't love him.

She then decided that she had kept the girls waiting long enough. She knew that they were probably mad at her but… she'd make something up. They'd understand. They believed in forgiveness. She hoped that they believed in acceptance as well.

* * *

They stayed silent as they watched the girl walk off to wherever she was headed. They still were slightly stunned that it was her. And the whole scene, the conversation that they just saw her have with… with… that douche!

"Guys, you'd never believe who I just saw walking by!" they heard Naruto say as he sprinted back to the table with their food.

"Let me guess, she had long black hair, rainbow streaks and she used to be Hitomi's girlfriend." Neji said.

"You guys saw her too." Naruto said slightly disappointed.

"It was kinda hard not to when she was standing about 20 feet away talking to Miomi. Who apparently is her new boyfriend. Judging by the way he wrapped his arms around her waist, licked her snow cone and called her l-" Neji was cut off.

"Shut the fuck up." they heard Hitomi say.

They all grew silent. Even Naruto, the loudest of them all, could sense that Hitomi was annoyed beyond hell. Naruto sat down as quietly as he could. The aura that came off of their emo friend was murderous. It seemed like he would snap at any moment.

"Why? You aren't jealous are you Hitomi?" Neji said.

Sasuke wanted to smirk at this. Neji was obviously doing this to provoke Hitomi because of the whole thing that happened before. He wanted to say something but then he decided against it. Watching their usually hard friends crack might be the most hilarious thing that he'll ever see.

"Why would I be jealous?" Hitomi asked.

"Because it seems like Yayuki's moved on. That she no longer remembers a thing about you. And the fact that she's dating the very guy that was part of the plot that broke you two up." Neji said with a smirk evident on his face.

"I don't give a damn about that." Hitomi muttered.

"Is that so? Tell me, doesn't it bother you that in the end he won? That after everything that you and Yayuki have been through, Miomi was the one who got her… not you." Neji said.

Oh yes, this was definitely the most hilarious thing that he'll ever see. Even Shikamaru looked like he was about to explode from trying to keep his laughter in. in fact, he himself thought of laughing, like actually laughing at everything that was going on. Neji may be his competition but he was now definitely Hitomi's enemy.

"Whatever." Hitomi said.

* * *

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.

* * *

Her feet were killing her. She wanted nothing more but to stop and sit down for a few moments to rest her aching soles. But she couldn't. More like she wasn't allowed to rest because of her blonde friend. She kept on dragging her from rack to rack, showing her things that looked good on her. And she was getting tired of it all.

God she missed this.

"This would look amazing on you Tenten." Ino said as she threw a rhine-stoned light purple tank in the direction of her brown-haired friend. The girl caught it and put it on the top of the mountain of clothing on a nearby bench.

"And this… this would look absolutely fabulous on you Hinata." Sakura said.

She threw the bright yellow dress in her direction. Hinata quickly caught it and then examined it. It was beautiful, and it looked very comfortable. She loved how there were stitches of orange flowers at the bottom of the dress. It was quite a glorious summer dress.

"Thanks Sakura, I'll go try it on." She said.

Unlike Tenten, she actually tried on several of the clothes that Sakura and Ino had picked out for her. Most of them were dresses –probably because she looked so good in them. But there were the occasional shirt or pants. If she was lucky, they would throw a skirt her way.

She went inside the dressing room and closed the door, then locked it. She placed the yellow dress on the hook on the door and then began to disrobe herself. She dropped her shorts first, and then came her large shirt. She had worn it that day for one reason and one reason only.

She was too lazy to find anything else to wear.

After she had gotten up and washed, she picked out the laziest and most comfortable pieces of clothing that she had. This included a pair of brown sandals, some jean shorts and a large white shirt. She had tied knots on each side of the shirt because it was actually one that she used as a night gown.

She fixed her hair a bit, making sure that the braid wasn't loose. She let out a sigh when she remembered that Ino was the one who did tae braid. And Ino always made sure that a hair style would stick for the rest of the day.

She then grabbed the yellow dress and slipped it on. She pulled at the bottom of it to get it fully down. To her enjoyment, it reached an inch or two above her knees. She twirled and saw that she just loved the way it would flow as she spun around and around. Oh yes, she liked this dress.

She unlocked the door and then stepped out so that she could show her friends. She glanced at the mirror and saw that while it may be loose at the bottom, it was slightly tight at the top, meaning that it really hugged her curves, all the more reason that she should buy it.

"What do you think?" she asked as she stood in front the line of her three friends who were now apparently her judges.

"I think," started Ino. She was slightly scared at what Ino was gonna say. Ino takes her fashion very seriously and her criticism is sometimes too harsh. "Buy it, it looks fabulous on you." Ino finally said.

She finally let go of the breath that she had just realized that she was holding. Ino likes it; now let's see what Sakura and Tenten think.

"Girls?" she asked.

"Ino's right, that dress just looks amazing on you Hinata. You look like… like…" it seemed like Tenten was struggling to find the right words.

"Like you just stepped out of a portrait." Sakura finished.

"Exactly." Tenten agreed.

She smiled at their reviews. That settles it, she was getting this dress. There was no way that she was gonna leave something this beautiful that looks that great on her, in the store.

"But it needs a few more minor accessories." She heard.

She looked up and came into view with Yayuki. Her smile brightened as she looked at the last of her critics. She never thought that anything was perfect without adding some more accessories.

"Like this bag… and these sunglasses." Yayuki said as she threw them at her.

She looked at the bag and sunglasses. The sunglasses were a bright yellow color and were dark-rimmed. The bag was woven and there were a few pink flowers on it. The color of it was a light brownish color with just hints of a darker shade of brown.

She put on both items and then began posing for her friends. She laughed as they pretended to be paparazzi and began asking her random questions.

"Hinata, Hinata, is there any truth to the rumor that you are now going off to London to fill a movie?" Tenten asked while holding a fake microphone to her mouth.

"Of course, I am the star of it after all." She said with a fake British accent.

"Hinata, how do you feel about the fact that your ex-boyfriend is now dating your sister?" asked Sakura.

"I really don't care. He only went after her because he couldn't have me. Hana may look like she's a flower but she's just thorns in disguise." She said as she did another pose for them.

Sakura pretended to scribble this down on a fake notebook and then presumed taking her fake pics.

"Hinata over here! Smile for me darling!" Ino said.

She did one pose where she was slightly bent over, her hands on her laps. Her lips were pouted forward and her head was to the side.

"Lovely." Ino commented.

"Hinata-sama, can I have your autograph?" said Yayuki as she pretended to be a fake fan girl.

"Of course anything for my fans." Hinata said.

She scribbled her signature on the fake notepad that Yayuki handed to her and then gave it back to the girl. She then resumed posing and then they began to laugh.

She then went back into the changing room, after her fit of giggles. There she carefully removed the accessories and the dress. She then put back on her clothes. She re-tied the knots of her shirt and buttoned up her shorts. Then re-slipping her feet into her sandals, she walked back out with the clothes and accessories in her hand.

"That was fun, now how about we go pay for our stuff and head out?" said Sakura.

"Sure, where are we going this time?" Ino asked.

"I was thinking we go to the pool at campus. I've been dying to wear this new bathing suit that I got at the start of summer." Said Sakura.

She had to admit that going to the pool was a great idea. And she'd be lying if she said that she hadn't wanted to test how far her shyness had gone by going out in public wearing this new two-piece bikini that she had gotten last year. She never wore it because she was too afraid of showing her body. But now, she was all in for it. Ah the beauty of maturing.

"I'm okay with it, what about you two?" she asked.

"Please… it's too hot to not go into a pool." Said Tenten.

"I'm okay with it… as long as you guys won't be mad at what I'm about to tell you." Yayuki said.

The mood in the room suddenly changed. She and the girls looked at her and Yayuki just gave them a pleading look in her eyes.

"Okay Yayuki… we promise that we won't be mad… now tell us." Sakura said.

She noticed that Yayuki seemed a bit hesitant. She knew that it must've been serious because none of them ever hesitated at telling each other stuff. She was sure that if one of them was pregnant, they'd tell one of them as soon as they found out.

"Okay um… I kinda have a boyfriend." Said Yayuki.

"Yayuki that's great! Why would you possibly think that we'd be mad at you about that?" Ino said.

"Because of who he is." Yayuki said.

There was silence again and she couldn't help but feel a bit of the tension herself. Who could their young friend possibly be dating that would make them angry? Unless…

"Wait… you aren't dating Hitomi again are you?" she asked softly.

She saw her friends' eyes slightly widen and then become sad. She knew that the break-ups were hard for her the most. She had really liked Hitomi. In fact they were all in love with the guys that they had dated. But like Sakura said on that faithful day, they loved their lives even more.

"No… not him… I'm actually dating," Yayuki whispered his name.

"Come again?" Tenten said.

Again a name formed on her friends' lips but she couldn't tell what she was saying.

"Excuse me?" Ino said.

"Miomi okay! I'm dating Miomi." Yayuki finally said.

She felt complete shock overcome her. No way that she was dating him? It was because of him and his terrible sisters that they were forced to break-up with the guys in the first place.

"Please tell me that's a lie." Ino said.

"You promised that you wouldn't get mad." Yayuki said.

"We aren't made sweetie, we're just… stunned." She said. She came closer to her friend and put the arm that wasn't carrying her stuff, over the girl's shoulder.

"She's right Yayuki. We couldn't get mad at you for dating him. It's not like we can control who you happen to fall in love with." Tenten said.

"I don't love him… I only like him." Yayuki said.

This wasn't surprising. Even though that she herself is interested in a guy that works at the café (the one that Tenten got the day off from) but she couldn't say that she loved the guy. Only that she liked him. And as hard as it was for her to admit this, there would only be one guy in the entire world that she could ever truly love.

She heard Ino sigh and then look at Yayuki with an apologetic look on her face.

"Sorry for… asking you if you were lying. I guess that I kinda overreacted. But I'm happy for you. A bit jealous though that you have a boyfriend and I don't." Ino said.

She heard her friends begin to giggle at this and she did do herself. It was like all the tension was finally gone from the room.

"So, now that the air's clear, how about we head over to that pool now?" Yayuki said.

"Finally, I think I'm gonna sweat up our own pool if we don't get there soon." Said Tenten.

"I wonder why we call Ino 'pig' when you're the one who sweats like one Tenten." Sakura said.

"Oh whatever Sakura." Said Tenten.

Removing her hand from around Yayuki's shoulder, she and her began to follow the three friends in front. There was a silent conversation between them. Her friend was glad that all of them accepted their relationship. And she was glad that Yayuki didn't keep it a secret from them for long.

* * *

"This sucks." Complained Naruto.

He leaned back in his chair as he began to silently loathe. He had just paid Sasuke and Hitomi the money that he owed them because of the baseball game. Neji and Shikamaru paid as well. But it broke him the most.

"You were the one who wanted to bet dobe." Said Sasuke.

Sasuke was right –the bastard. He was the one who started the bet on who was gonna win the baseball game. But that was only because he believed that his team was gonna win. How was he supposed to know that the owner of the other team was one of his… 'friends'?

"Still, you could've at least went easy on me and only made me pay half like you did to Shikamaru and Neji." He said.

"But I didn't want to let you pay half. You started it, tried to get out of it, and you had to live up to the consequences." Said Sasuke.

He groaned as he tried to shield himself from the sun using his blonde hair. He had let his bangs grow a smidge. And he was gladder than ever at the moment that he made that decision. They were currently all on the roof of the building that held the boys' dormitory. Up there was a lounge area with chairs, a soda machine, a radio and other stuff for dudes.

Of course there was this tarp that some people who worked at the dorms put over the electronic things and the chairs and what not –well technically all over the area whenever it would rain or snow.

He grabbed the open can of soda by his side and took a sip from it. He let out a sigh of relief as his hot throat was cooled down by the cold beverage. Although his soda was turning slightly hot because of it being under the sun and all. But as long as he finished it before it could be considered sweet tasting water, he'll be fine.

He looked over at his other friends. Neji had taken his shirt off –he had done the same- and was sitting in one of the chairs reading something. Shikamaru was asleep on one of the lounge chairs there. And Hitomi was against the wall that held the door that they used to get up there, still wearing his all black clothing and hood onto top of his head, listening to music.

Sasuke was leaning back on the chair, his arms crossed behind his head, with his eyes closed. He assumed that the youngest Uchiha was asleep. A good thing too, he didn't feel like being bossed around again.

There were several other male students up there as well. Hey were all busy either talking to each other or with one of the girls that some of them brought. But even though the girls weren't technically invited by them, he kept noticing how many of them turned their attention away from the guy who they were speaking with and took a glance at him or one of his friends.

One with curly brown hair that reached her mid-back glanced at him and he winked at her. He noticed that she slightly blushed a bit and then turned away from him. Silly girl, he didn't even like her. But he did enjoy making her feel a bit flustered. He guesses that he had gotten that habit during the time that he dated…

Hinata.

God he missed her. He always did love making her blush –she always looked her cutest when she blushed. Well not her CUTEST, cutest because there were moments where he just wanted to devour her. Which he sometimes did. But those were the moments that he could never tell Neji about. Because if he did, he was pretty sure that Neji would rip his balls off for deflowering the little sunflower, as he often called her.

He sighed and took another sip of the drink. The girl kept looking at him but he didn't bother to look at her. She was ugly compared to how beautiful Hinata was. In fact, he thinks that he's probably the only guy out of the group who could admit that they still had feelings for their ex-girlfriends. Which he was pretty sure was safe to say, that went there as well. Because those girls always stuck together. And since Yayuki was here, the others were sure to be there too.

"Damn dude, how come you never told us that you asked a chick out?" he heard.

A group of skater dudes walked into the Chill Area, as he called it. It looked like they were pestering the middle one –a guy that he had seen around campus… wait a minute. He was the guy who those three girls were chasing yesterday. He recognized the skateboard, the hair and…

"But pink hair? I know she's hot dude but… the pink hair is kinda weird." He heard.

Pink… hair… pink… hair… oh my god… PINK HAIR!

He nearly spit out his soda at the mention of the familiar hair. So he was right, the other girls were here as well. And it sounds like that one dude had asked out Sakura. He hopes that she didn't say yes or…

"Well whatever, I'm taking her out Saturday. Sakura's a cool chick, I'm sure of it." The guy said.

He looked to his side and saw that Sasuke's eyes were now open. By the concentrated look on his face, he could tell that Sasuke had heard the conversation the entire time. But what he couldn't tell was if Sasuke didn't care or not.

"Teme… are you alright?" he asked.

* * *

He felt…

He wasn't sure how he felt.

But he was certain in one thing… he now knew that Sakura was going to the same college as him. And it hurt him little to think that she was already going out with some… some guy, that she probably just met.

God, now he knew how Hitomi felt.

It was painful to think that the girl you loved –the girl who you proposed to- was already dating while you haven't even gotten the nerve or felt like asking any girl out since the break-up. And because of that, he's been accused of turning gay. Which he only went on a fake date with a girl once just to prove that he wasn't.

But this, this was different. It looked like Sakura had just… forgotten completely about him and moved on with her life. It seemed like she didn't even care enough about him anymore. And this just pissed him off even more.

"Sasuke…" he heard.

He turned his attention from his thoughts to his best friend sitting next to him. There was a worried look on Naruto's face and that just made him want to glare at him, which he did.

"I'm fine." He snarled out.

Naruto almost flinched. He could see how the blonde almost jerked back a bit. But then there was a hardened look in Naruto's blue eyes that he could easily say annoyed him a bit. He wanted Naruto to be afraid of him. But he'd be damned if he didn't admit that he was feeling like shit at the moment. No matter how much it hurt his ego.

"No…" he said a bit low. "I'm not." He finished.

"But how come you didn't ask one of her friends out instead? There was a really hot one with short brown hair. And then there was the blonde one, the one who looked shy and then the other one." Said one of the guys.

"You mean the long black haired one? Man she was hot." Said another guy.

From the corner of his eye, he could see Hitomi didn't seem affected by any of it. He wondered why until he noticed the black headphones that hung from his ears. The music blocked out the conversation.

"Yeah but Sakura's still insanely hot as well. Besides, I'm pretty sure that all her friends are already taken. I saw the shy one talking to some guy at the café. I think she was asking him out or flirting with him or something." Said the main guy.

He saw that Naruto began to get a distant look in his eyes. He was obviously thinking about the girl he used to date that was Neji's cousin. He had forgotten her name.

"Let's get out of here. I say we head over to some place to cool down some bit." He proposed.

"Yeah, wake up Shikamaru Neji. I'll grab Hitomi." Naruto said.

They began to pack up their stuff. By that I mean that Naruto and Neji put their shirts back on, they grabbed the cooler full of soda and beer that they brought up with them, and finally they got Shikamaru and headed back into the dorms.

Once inside, he automatically headed back to his room. His feet, his body was on auto-pilot. His mind was filled with so many things. So many memories of what they used to do together. So many moments that they shared –even though he always kept these moments private and never let them happen in public.

But most of all, he thought of her… how she looked. Her soft pink hair and her bright green eyes. How her lips always seemed to say or do something that he liked. How she was not only physically tough but also –something that he learned when she broke up with him- emotionally tough as well. And to think of all the times that he accused her of being weak when they were younger was wrong.

He reached his dorm and went in. Naruto was right behind him with the cooler in his hand. His blonde friend set it down on the table in the room and then went to the bathroom. As for him, he just changed his pants, from his shorts to his trunks. And then with a bit of water-proof spray over his hair, he waited impatiently for Naruto.

He also took the time to text the other idiots.

* * *

To: Ramen King; Mister Sleepy; The gr8 one; Prince

From: UchihaRuler

Hurry up

We're going to the pool

-Do it or else, Sasuke

* * *

He sent the message off to his friends. At that moment Naruto came out of the bathroom looking down at his own phone.

"Sasuke, I was in the bathroom. Instead of texting me to hurry up, you could just tell me you know." Naruto said.

"Hn." He said.

He noticed the grin that was now shown on Naruto's face. For a moment it was like things were back to normal. There was no slight depression because of the girls and it seemed like the only people who mattered in the world was him and his followers… um friends (ego much).

The door opened and in stepped in the other three idiots who he ruled over. He saw that they each wore swim trunks as well and had shorts over. Except Hitomi was the only one who was wearing a sweater. God it was like 95 degrees out. Why the hell was that douche still wearing that black sweater of his?

He decided to just skip it. He had more important things to think about than the possibility of Hitomi getting heat stroke. Like the fact that it was almost… dam it was only like 1pm. He thought for sure that it would've been much later than that.

"Let's go." He said.

* * *

.

.

.

* * *

"Quit splashing me pig! We're not little kids you know!" she yelled at Ino.

"Exactly why I'm splashing you forehead! You need to get in touch with your inner kid!" Ino replied back.

They had arrived at the pool around 10 minutes ago. They had taken off their clothes down to their underwear and began enjoying the hot day along with the other students. But of course in order to get into the pool, you had to show your student ID in order to prove that you actually went to that college. The pool was very exclusive and no non-college goers were allowed.

"Yo you brats quit it!" they heard Tenten yell.

They both turned towards Tenten. She was wearing a brown two-piece with light brown ruffles at the top and bottom. She looked really cute with her big sunglasses and short hair. And they knew that they weren't the only people thinking that. They saw man guys glance at Tenten a couple of times. But the girl just ignored them and kept reading her magazine under the large umbrella which was hooked up to the lounge chair.

She gave Ino an evil smirk and then they both began splashing water in Tenten's direction. The brown-haired girl put done her magazine and then got up. She walked over to them and bent her upper body forward and her hands were on her hips.

"You're gonna pay for that." Tenten said.

Then she jumped in and began attacking them with water. It was fun, that she would admit. And often people were too busy in doing what they wanted that they didn't look at them weird or anything. It was a nice change from how it usually would've been if they were still in high school.

Everyone would've been staring at them like they were weird or something.

* * *

"This is nice isn't it?" she said softly.

She and Yayuki had isolated themselves from the others. They kept the dresses that they wore over their bathing suits on and were seated at one of the tables there. Of course there were umbrellas, there were umbrellas everywhere. Really big umbrellas that provided enough shad for the chair or table of which it was attached to.

"Yeah, it's really nice. I haven't felt this happy in nearly forever." Yayuki told her.

"Me neither, to be honest I was kinda afraid that all of you were gonna leave Japan. I wouldn't know what id' be doing at the moment if you were gone." She said.

"I know what I'd probably be doing. My parents would be putting me in etiquette classes and setting me up on blinds dates to find 'the one'. Yayuki said with a disgusted look on her face.

"Speaking of dating, I'm really glad that you didn't keep your and Hitomi's relationship a secret from us Yayuki. It really made me feel a lot better." She told her.

"Well I thought about how keeping my last relationship a secret turned out awful. So I'm not afraid to tell people who I'm dating. But I did want your approval first." Yayuki said.

"You have my full blessing." She said.

"I'm glad… 'Cause there he is now." Yayuki said.

She turned her head to see one of the most familiar faces of her old school walking up to them. It was hard not to recognize him. In the last months of high school, he had been one of the most talked about boys there.

"How's it going love?" Miomi said.

"Hi Miomi… you remember Hinata right?" Yayuki said.

He looked down at her and now she could clearly see just how much he had physically changed. He was still gorgeous. It was one of the reasons why she always hung around Sakura and Yayuki. Amazingly hot guys always hung around them. His face had more manly features to it and he had certainly grown.

He made her feel small.

"Of course I remember Hinata… the sweetheart of the school. How've you been Hinata?" Miomi asked her.

She blushed at the nickname. In the last few months of high school she had been know as the 'Sweetheart of Hokage High'. Her innocence –as much of that was left of it anyway- gave her the cute, adorable look that everyone loved. So one day, someone just called her 'sweetheart'. And then more people got into it and that's how she got her title.

"I've been great Miomi." She responded.

"Listen… I hope that there aren't any hard feelings about what I did before. To be honest, I was kinda against it but Minamo and Karin… they were just so determined and they would've become sad if I hadn't agreed and…" he started.

"It's alright… we understand." She said.

"'We'? He asked.

"Yes as in me and the girls. Yayuki told us about your relationship… how you two are dating. We're okay with it… we're just glad that Yayuki's stopped keeping secrets from us." She said.

He smiled at her and she smiled back. It did feel nice to accept Miomi. She knew that he was a nice guy. He often helped her with projects and stuff when they were in class together. Carrying her books on the days when they just seemed to heavy. He was a nice guy and Yayuki a nice girl. But she could still sense how Yayuki was a bit awkward at the moment. She doubted that it was because of jealousy. None of them are really the jealous type.

"Can I buy you two anything?" he offered.

"No thank you Miomi, I'm alright." She said.

"Not now Miomi… maybe later when it's too hot to not eat or drink something cold?" Yayuki responded.

Yep, she was definitely getting that awkward vibe.

"Of course." He said.

* * *

"I said quit it!" she yelled.

She slammed her hand down in the water with an immense force. A big splash of the liquid was created and splashed in the direction of Sakura and Ino. Both girls yelped as the water went into their eyes. She only smiled.

"You think that's funny huh? Well get ready to feel the awesome power that is the 'Ino Tornado'." Ino said.

Ino began to spin around in the water. This caused some of the water to spin with her as well and created the illusion of a water spout. She moved back along with Sakura as the water splashed them in the face.

"Oh yeah? Well what about the 'Sakura Hurricane'?" Sakura said. Her pink haired friend started to mover her hands in large circles under the water. More water started to splash around and with both attacks, she was getting soaked.

She knew that she had to take abrasive maneuvers if she wanted to survive the 'Sakura Hurricane' and 'Ino Tornado'. And she thought of what just to use.

"Alright then… feel the awesome power of the 'Tenten T-" she stopped near the end of the sentence.

Her eyes widened as she looked at who she saw. She felt her heart begin to thump loudly in her chest that she was sure that the pain wasn't from the water in her eyes.

THUMP

THUMP

THUMP

She took in a deep breath and then went under the water. Her eyes were opened and she looked at the legs of her friends. She was hoping that the water might mute the sound of her heart beating loudly. Water was a sound absorbent. At least she thought that it was.

Her lugs needed air but she didn't care. She didn't feel like going back up to the surface of the water. Not if he was still up there. She may like that blonde guy –whose name she couldn't remember at the moment- but she was still in love with… with…with…

Neji.

She couldn't take it anymore and she went up to the surface of the water. Once her head broke through, she took in a large breath of air and then wiped some water from her eyes.

"Tenten what's wrong?" she heard Sakura asked.

She looked at Sakura. Ino was still smiling but the smile was slowly fading as she saw the concern in her face. It was a good thing that her face was already wet because she felt like crying at the moment. But no, she wouldn't cry. She wouldn't let Neji know that she was still his. At least her heart was.

"They're… here." She spoke out.

"Who... Who's here?" Ino asked.

She took in a few more breaths of air and then turned around in the water looking for them. It wasn't long before she caught sight of the long brown hair. Her heart ached.

"The guys." She said.

She saw both girls go silent. There wasn't any type of emotion present on their faces. In fact for a moment she completely forgot that she was talking to Ino and Sakura. They were both so quiet as they processed the information that she had just given them.

"No…" Sakura was the one to break the silence.

"Yes." She said.

"Well… screw them." said Ino. This gained both hers and Sakura's attention. "We're not their girlfriends. And they're not out boyfriends. So we can just ignore them right?" Ino said.

She thought about it for a moment. In a way… not even in a way Ino was just right! She shouldn't be stressing over a guy who she dumped like… 4 months ago or something. And no she was not counting how long they've been apart. She wasn't even sure if that was the right number of months.

"Right, we all have new guys that we like. And we're happy." She said.

"Of course, now let's get back to our pool day fun." Said Sakura.

She would no longer worry about him. She was a free woman who was currently involved with getting the attention of a guy. Not even getting his attention, she was gonna ask him out the next time she saw him. They practically dated over the summer. They just didn't make it official. But she would certainly make him her official boyfriend. This was her plan.

And Neji wasn't a part of it.

* * *

"Ah Miomi!" he heard.

He knew that voice. That sweet, sweet voice that he used to always love hearing sing, talk and scream. Especially scream. But now instead of his name, she was screaming another boys' name. She was screaming her new bastard-of-a-boyfriend's name. Meaning that she was here with him.

"Please tell me that I'm not the only one who heard that." He heard Naruto say.

"No… you're not." He said.

That's when she spotted them. He was carrying her –she was slung over his shoulder. He nearly felt his heart swell when he finally was able to make out her face. She was still the most beautiful girl that he had ever seen. And she probably still had the body that he still loved. The same body that Miomi was now touching with his hands.

This irritated him to no end.

"Gah Hinata! Help me, he's gonna throw me in the water!" he heard her yell.

He saw Naruto stiff a bit as the fairy-girl came into view. He saw that she was grabbing the hands of Yayuki and that both girls were trying to get her out of Miomi's grip. It seemed like they were having fun too.

"Maybe we should go?" Neji suggested.

"No, we're staying. Okay look, who gives a crap if they're here too? Let's just forget about them." Sasuke said.

"I give a crap if they're here." Naruto said.

"Yeah well then you can either stay and ignore them or go and be lonely." Sasuke said as he plopped down in the lounge chair next to him.

He watched as Naruto glared at Sasuke but sat down anyway. He noticed how the blonde's eyes fixated themselves on the young girl who was Neji's cousin. His own eyes stayed on the other black-haired girl. And the fact that she still wasn't out of Miomi's grip.

"Put me down!" she shouted.

"Not happening love." He said.

This brought him over the edge. He did not just call her what he thought he just called her. Was it possible that Miomi… the bastard who broke them up in the first place and was now dating her just called Yayuki… the Yayuki who's virginity he took and spent nearly all of the last year of high school learning to really like, almost love… did he just call her 'love'?

He watched as he threw the girl in the water and then jumped in himself. The Hyuuga girl stood by the side of the pool laughing. It kinda stunned him what she did next. She took off the dress that she was wearing, revealed a two-piece bathing suit that he was sure Naruto was drooling over at the moment and jumped into the water as well.

He watched with a solemn expression as Yayuki popped up from under the water and Miomi wrapped his arms around her neck. His hands were dangerously close to her breasts. And then, he really got angry when he whispered something into her ear and she began to laugh and gave him kiss on the cheek. This really brought out his jealousy, but he wasn't about to show it.

"Defense! Defense!" he heard the brown-haired girl shout.

The girl jumped on top of Miomi's back and this made him release Yayuki. He grabbed onto her and then flipped her into the water. The other girls joined in as well as they too began to play with Miomi in the water. The entire time they were just laughing.

"I hate this." He heard Shikamaru say.

He looked over at the lazyass to see that his eyes were set in a glare. Sure enough he was focused on the blonde chick that was now on Miomi's shoulder shouting that she wanted to play chicken.

"We all hate it. But we chose to ignore it remember?" Sasuke said.

"But teme, how are we gonna ignore them? We went out with them for nearly all of senior year. We gave them presents on Valentine's Day. And they look like they've completely forgotten about us and are over there playing with Miomi." Naruto said.

"I'm well aware of all that dobe." Sasuke said.

"Then you can see why we hate it so much and can't just sit here and watch this." Said Neji.

"Fine be wimps. But if you hate it that much then you'd try to divert their attention." Said Sasuke.

For once, the Uchiha actually had a good plan. If he couldn't stand watching Yayuki have fun with her new 'boyfriend' –and he uses the term loosely- then he'll just make her stop having fun and make her start paying attention to him.

With that in mind, he got up and then proceeded to taking off his sweat shirt.

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She laughed as he tackled her into the water. While she was under, she noticed that he was swimming over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and then planted a kiss on her neck. She didn't feel her skin begin to heat up or anything. She just felt… nothing. But she faked it so that he wouldn't begin to think that she no longer liked him.

Then went back up and broke through the surface of the water. He then swam back over to her and hugged her. She hugged him back and as she looked over his shoulder, she saw him. And feelings began to stir inside her.

As the rest of the black sweatshirt came off of his chest, she unconsciously licked her lips. It just wasn't fair to her. She may have been able to block him out of her mind for the time being but… it was kinda hard when he was right in front of her shirtless at the pool. His abs… they were so delicious.

She felt herself begin to heat up as she made eye contact with him. His crystal eyes were still cold, but she couldn't help but get… anxious when she looked into them. He smirked at her and she blushed.

'Dear god,' she thought.

Miomi let go of her and she was drawn back from her fantasy world. She was still wet –and not because of the water- but she was glad that they were in a pool. And the fact that the water was cold because at the moment, she really needed it. Like badly.

"What's wrong love? Your face is pink." Miomi said.

She took in a few deep breaths and rested her head against his chest. For some reason, she couldn't help but compare how… weak Miomi's chest looked compared to… Hitomi's. Sure they were both two very nice looking guys but… she had to admit that she was just drawn to Hitomi.

But she wouldn't let that physical attraction mess up her relationship with Miomi at the moment.

"I'm just a bit… tired. I'm gonna go rest, you stay and play with the girls. Try to not give them any reason to hate you or let them scare you off." she said.

He nodded his head and she proceeded to get out of the water. She was glad that none of the girls interrupted her leave. She didn't feel like explaining her sudden departure from the water to any of them. Who knows what they might think?

She fully got out of the water and went over to her stuff. Luckily, Miomi had taken the percussion of taking her dress off before he decided to dump her in the water. She moved the white piece of clothing and then went in her pool bag and got her towel. She then wrapped it over her shoulder and upper body, and sat down in the chair. She closed her eyes and began to take in deep breaths.

This so wasn't fair.

* * *

"Yeah, I win!" she yelled.

They had started a game of water basketball a few minutes ago. She was of course the victor for many reasons. One, she kept her mind focused on the game. Two, she blocked out everyone else except her teammates and three, she had taken a liking to basketball over the summer. And she used to practice it every day before she came to college.

"You cheated." Ino said.

"No I didn't, I'm just better than you." She said.

"Liar! Let's get her!" Tenten said.

Tenten, Hinata and Ino then jumped her. She watched as Miomi tried to get them off of her as she cried out for help. They pushed her under the water and she saw him. He was under the water and looking directly at her.

The urge to swim over to him was so strong. But she made a promise to herself that if she ever saw him again, she would ignore him. And she did tell Ino like an hour ago or so that she would ignore him but… that plan was good in theory. Not when he was right there, under the water with her, and still looking at her with his intense black eyes.

'Sasuke…' she thought.

She went up to get a breath of fresh air. She noticed that all the girls were distracted by something as well. She also took notice that Miomi was nowhere to be found –she had grown to like him as a friend in the past hour or so- and that Yayuki was covered up on the lounge chair with her face slightly pink.

She went back under the water, she wanted to see if he was still there and to her surprise –and annoyance and excitement at the same time- he was. His eyes were still intense and this caused her heart to throb. She didn't know whether she liked the pain that her heart caused her or if she completely hated it. But she was sure of one thing… she was slowly getting closer to him.

She was swimming towards him, not even knowing that she was doing it. Her eyes were locked with his and it was like the world didn't exist. Just him, her, and the water around them.

She floated in front of him. Neither of them talking because they were underwater. They didn't even move at all. She was still looking into his dark, coal black eyes. It was like they cast a spell on her the second she looked into them. And that's when she felt it, something soft against her lips. And without warning, she felt herself kissing him back.

Her eyes closed and her hands tangled themselves in his floating wet hair. It was till soft and she just enjoyed it so much. She felt him run his tongue against her lips, not knowing what she was doing she parted her lips for him. Almost immediately she felt his tongue begin to invade her mouth.

She had to breathe… but she didn't want to stop kissing him. He ignited a fire within her that she was sure could never be put out with water. They were underwater at the moment and the fire only burned hotter within her. And as his hands moved down her body, past her oblique, and rested on her hips, she moaned.

She knew that he hadn't heard it because water did soak up sound. But now the urge to breathe was too much to ignore. She broke away from him and then went up to the surface to get some air.

She went back under the second she felt herself feel better but was a bit disappointed when she saw that he was gone. Was it a dream? No, the kiss…oh my god the kiss!

She kissed her ex-boyfriend!

The same man that she had promised herself and her friends that she would ignore. The same man who she broke up with 6 months ago because of his crazy fan girl stalkers. The same man who…

She still loved.

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Man another long chapter. I'm happy to say that I added a bit of each character into it. And yes I know that I kinda got off the writing rode but give me a break. It's hard to concentrate at 2 in the morning. But I still managed to give you a rocking second chapter. And I'm glad that 5 people reviewed the first chapter. Now before I give you the third chapter –which I'm sure you'll want to read-, I want at least 10 reviews. And I'm serious too. You won't see and posts until I get ten reviews for this chapter. They can be flames –I accept them because they tell me what I did wrong and help me become a better writer. They can also be suggestions or ideas or anything. All I know is that I want 10 reviews, and then I'll give you an awesome third chapter. Come on people, it's not that hard to click that review button at the bottom and tell me what you thought. If you had enough time to read this long chapter then you certainly have enough time to review. Anyways, bye and remember 10 REVIEWS!

Xoxoxo Chibi Star Vamp


	3. Date Night

Okay, before I start on this chapter, I'd like to just say a few things. First thing is that wow! I can't believe how many reviews I got for the second chapter. And all of them were completely positive. In fact, they were so positive that I have to confess something to you. The reason that I haven't uploaded any new chapters to my stories –and it's not because of that glitch which they better fix- is because I've been working on the chapters for a new story! And I know what you're thinking… new story? But yes, a brand new story that I think you'll all just love. In fact, I have already written two chapters for that story. But I can't post it because of that stupid glitch. But if I post this and you get an email for my new story then you'll all know that it's fixed. Anyways, I hope that you enjoy this chapter just as much as you enjoyed the last chapter. Oh yeah, and see? I was serious when I said ten chapter reviews last time. Hope this makes up for the wait.

Disclaimer: I do not own the original Naruto characters. But I do own my characters, the fake college and the plot. Oh yeah and the story of which this is the sequel to.

Dedication: To all of you! It's because of the many reviews that I get that really inspire me to do my best in each chapter. And it looks like my best has not only improved, but it's amazing! Thank you all!

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"I feel sick to my stomach." Sakura said as she paced back and forth in her shared room with Ino and Karin.

She had her hands wrapped around her stomach indicating the sickening feeling of which she felt. There was an almost pained look on her face. One of her hands left her stomach and she began to chew on her nail.

"Sakura quick worrying, it's gonna be alright." Ino said as she tried to soothe the worried soul of her best friend.

"I can't help it… I'm just so nervous." She said.

She finally stopped pacing and slumped down in her bed. Her hair was sprawled out over the green sheets. Her hands took back their place on her stomach as she took in deep breaths. Her face seemed a bit paler than before and her heart was thumping loudly in her chest.

"Ah nervousness," started Ino as she jumped off the ladder that led to her bed and stood right in front of Sakura's. "The indication that you're worried that something might go wrong." She finished.

Sakura shot up from her laid down position on the bed. Her hands were now at her side as she stared at her friend with widened eyes. She took in another deep breath and then looked at her hands which now were placed in front of her.

"Of course I'm worried that something might go wrong," she said as she looked from her hands to Ino. Her hands were now placed back on the bed. "It's my first date in a really long time." she said as Ino took a seat next to her. "And to top it all off… he's here." She finished. 'And I kissed him that day at the pool.' Was her thought un-said.

The room went into an awkward silence as she replayed everything that had had happened to her at the pool. She didn't mean to… she really didn't. But… she couldn't help herself! She didn't know what overcame her but she just somehow ended up kissing him. And the fact that she was practically already dating another –even though her date with him wasn't until tonight- made her feel all the guiltier about it.

"Oh Sakura," said Ino as she leaned in and placed her head on the junction in Sakura's neck. "It's gonna be alright. In fact if you want," she said with a bit of a sly voice. "I and the girls can make sure that nothing goes wrong by being you date bodyguards." Ino finished.

"Date bodyguards?" she repeated.

"Yeah," said Ino as she now looked at her in the eyes. "We can follow you and Atsushi around on your date and help you out if anything goes wrong."

She raised a pink eye brow at her friend. Was she nuts? She wasn't about to have them follow her and Atsushi on their date. That might only add to her already large paranoia.

"No thanks Ino. I'd rather let nature take its course." She said.

She stood from the bed and went over to the dresser. There she opened up the first drawer and pulled out a pair of underwear. She placed them on the surface of the dresser and then went over to the closet. She opened the sliding doors and then looked at her clothes.

"What do you think I should wear today?" she asked as she completely changed the subject.

She heard shuffling and the Ino stood at her side. The platinum blonde studied her clothing and then reached for a bright yellow top.

"I say wear this with a jean skirt. It might help you get over your fear." Said Ino as she pulled out the recently mentioned jean skirt. "Who knows, maybe you'll even run into Atsushi and he'll comment on how pretty you look?"

'Or I could run into Sasuke and get even more worried about tonight." She thought.

Ino placed the clothing on her bed and she looked at it for a few moments. It was a very nice ensemble. The shirt would reach her waist and would allow a bit of skin to show. Just like an inch or two of her belly button. Nothing really. Plus the skirt matched perfectly with her flats.

"Okay then, I'll go get ready." She said.

Today they were gonna meet the girls for a salon day. She would not allow her first date to be ruined because she looked like she had just woken up from sleeping in a coffin. And she doubted that Atsushi would want to go on another date with her if she looked like crap on their first one.

"Well hurry up! Our salon appointment is in one hour and you know that we have to get there early or-" Ino's cries were muffled by the door of the bathroom as it was closed shut.

With the towel in her hand, she walked over to the mirror and pulled her hair back. She studied her face now that all loose strands of hair were gone to cloud the view. She turned from side to side and nearly froze.

"A pimple… why?" she said.

There it stood on the side of her face. Right under her right ear near her cheek. It wasn't that big but she could still manage to see some of the puss that inhabited it. Looks like she'll have to go use the spa treatment as well just to get rid of that unsightly thing.

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He moved to the right, jumped over the large hole and then did a roll to get under the secret area. He blasted the dome that was there just to come across a new area. He grabbed the weapon there and headed towards where he would engage in battle with the main boss.

"All right, he's gonna do it." Naruto said.

He blocked out all noise as he started shooting with the blaster that he acquired. The boss moved around and he jumped as it went under him. He blasted it some more times as the boss then released its own defense weaponry.

"Come on, come on." He heard Naruto say again.

He switched weapons in the middle of the battle and then saw his goal. It was right on top of the head of the boss. Now all he had to do was jump on the wall, climb the vines and jump on top of its head and…

"No!" he shouted as he got hit and lost the remaining amount of his stamina.

The words, 'GAME OVER' appeared on the screen of the flat screen. He threw the controller on the ground in fury and then threw his head back against the couch. His bangs covered his eyes.

"Nice try Uchiha, but it looks like I'm still number one." He heard Neji say.

"Go fuck yourself Hyuuga." He responded in bitter anger.

He couldn't believe that he still hadn't been able to beat Neji's high score in 'Metroid: Other M'. Ever since the day he played it after Neji and he saw that the Hyuuga had beaten his high score, he'd been trying endlessly to regain his position as number one. But it seems like no matter how hard he tries, he can't beat him.

"Hmph, at least I'm still the best of the best." Neji said.

He looked at Neji with one of his infamous glares. Neji just smirked at him from his position on the other couch. He really hated Neji's new attitude. And he was right; Neji was more of a threat than before.

In fact, just recently a girl had come up to the Hyuuga and asked if he wanted to go out. When Neji turned her down, she went over to him and asked the same question. He didn't bother speaking to her. He just turned around and walked away from the chick. He was no one's second option. It was either first or nothing.

"Calm down Sasuke, you'll get him next time." Naruto tried to consul him.

"Shut up Naruto." He said.

He didn't mean to snap at his best male friend but he was just so angry. He hated the fact that while before Hitomi was his competition –the Itorashi was always better at him at everything and he couldn't stand it- but now it was this douche bag. But at least his worst enemy was now his ally. Hitomi couldn't stand Neji either.

He let out a sigh and then grabbed a soda from the cooler that he used as a foot rest while he played the game. He popped it open and then practically gulped it down.

"So," Shikamaru said trying to break the awkward silence. He looked at the pointy-haired boy who was seated next to the emo-dude. "What are we doing today?" he asked.

He put the half-empty can on the coffee table and then thought about it. He really wasn't sure what they were gonna do today. He thought about just staying in the lounge and then playing the game all day –trying to beat Neji's high score. But then again, the girls were here and tonight was Sakura's date with that guy…

"We're messing with the girls today." He said.

It seemed like his response to the question wasn't what they expected. But then again what did they expect? After what they did the day before, him especially, what else would they expect? It was their plan to start to mess with the girls' feelings. And just because it was a new day didn't mean that they could back down.

"We're still continuing it?" asked Naruto.

"Of course, you still want to get them back for what they did don't you?" he asked.

The room went silent but he knew that they knew that he was right. They had talked about after the pool thing. Turns out that they were each slightly angry over the break-up. They wanted to get the girls back and keep them from having a relationship with any other guy. And while that may seem a bit over-possessive, they couldn't help it.

They still liked them… maybe even love them.

"Of course I do but…" started Naruto.

"But what?" he snarled at the blonde.

Naruto scratched his head a bit and then looked at the full can of soda in his hand. The boy moved its contents around a bit and then looked back up at him.

"Never mind, let's do it." Naruto said.

He smirked at this and then turned off the game system with the remote. They turned off the TV but let the game in. they knew that others would play it, and they didn't really mind. No one ever tried to steal something from the lounge because there were cameras everywhere. Where exactly? They weren't sure. The cameras were well hidden and can never be broken.

"Let's go." He said as he stood up and drunk the rest of his Sprite. He threw the can away in the recycling bin –the school was very big on that- and began to walk away.

He heard the footsteps of his companions behind him. On their way down to the lobby, they passed several girls who were probably going to go to some guy's room. Once they reached the elevator, they pressed the button and waited.

"Hurry it up!" they heard.

They looked to the side where the voice came from and they saw who made the loud outburst. Almost immediately they wished that the elevator doors would quickly open.

"Sasuke-kun!" Karin yelled as she ran over to them.

She glomped onto him and rubbed her head against his arm. He let out an irritated groan and rolled his eyes at her attempt of showing him affection.

"I didn't know that you went here too." She said as she released him and looked into his eyes.

"This is just great," said Minamo as she stood beside Karin. To his surprise, she didn't try to kiss Hitomi or anything. In fact –and he hated to admit this- she actually looked… pretty. "Now it can be like old times." she finished.

The idea of college being like high school inwardly disgusted him. But he had to admit that there were a few things in high school that he wouldn't mind if they happened again. Like becoming captain of the football team in freshman year –only to resign in sophomore year. Or dating an insanely hot model chick in their junior year, although he did break up with her a few months later. She clung to him too much.

"No thanks." He said.

The elevator door opened and they all stepped inside. To his irritation, Karina and Minamo got in as well. They pressed the lobby button and then the doors began to close.

"So Sasuke-kun," Karin said as she got closer to him. "How've you been lately?" she asked him.

"Hn." He responded.

He wasn't up to make any type of conversation with the red-haired girl. Even though it seemed like her sister had changed –and for the better too- it looked like Karin hadn't changed at all. And to think that he had silently prayed the last day of high school that he'd never see her again. And that if he did, she'd be a completely different person.

"I see, you're still the same old Sasuke. Although I must say that you're looks have enhanced." She said.

He stared at the metallic doors, just hoping that they'd finally open up. I mean was it him or did this seem like the longest elevator ride ever? Finally the doors opened and they stepped out.

"So where are you guys headed?" Karin asked.

Why won't she go away?

"None of your business." Hitomi said.

"I see, well we're just headed to the Lunch Area to meet up with Miomi. He said that he had something important to tell us." Said Minamo.

He saw Hitomi clench his jaw at the mention of Miomi. He knew that besides Neji, he hated Miomi more than anything. Now more than ever since the dude is apparently dating Yayuki.

"Well bye." He said as they walked past the open sliding doors and headed towards the shopping area.

To his relief, the girls didn't follow them. They just walked over to the side where the path that led to the Lunch Area was. Meanwhile, they walked down the steps that led to all the shops that were on campus.

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"Hey girls." she said as they walked up to the counter of the small café.

"Hey Tenten, ready to go?" Ino asked.

She finished stirring the foam in her latte as they reached the counter. She took a sip and then licked her lips of any excess foam that could've stayed there.

"Sorry girls, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to go with you today." She said disappointed.

"Why?" Sakura asked.

"Well, since I took an entire day off last time, I can't get off early." She said as she handed the now ready drink to another costumer beside them. "Have a nice day." She said as the customer walked away. She then turned her attention back to her friends. "In fact I have to work a few extra hours as punishment." She finished.

"Well that sucks." Sakura said.

She leaned against the counter and took another sip of her latte. Another reason whys he had to work extra hours, she always took free drinks. She really didn't mind though. The drinks were delicious. But it might cut into her social life with her friends and any possible blonde-haired boys that she might run into and ask her out.

"I know, and I'm really sorry about it. But maybe Yayuki might be able to go?" she said.

"Okay, where is she?" Ino asked.

She turned around to go check on the bagels that were currently rising. The smell of them was delicious. She checked the timer and saw that she had a good ten minutes before they would be ready. So she turned down the heat a bit and then walked back to her friends.

"She should be working right now." she said.

"Working? She has a job here too?" Sakura asked.

"Well not here like she works in this café but more like at the music store on campus." She said.

She smelt the bagels and they were mouth-watering. Maybe she should get herself one after they're done? Well if she did, she might get an extra hour or so. And then that really would ruin her possible dating life.

"Okay, what's it called and where is it?" Sakura asked.

"It's called Muse-ic, and you can get there by just walking past the boutique and then turning left when you reach the salon. Which if you're interested Ino, is hiring." She added.

"Really, ooh can we stop there after we check if Hinata and Yayuki can come? You do have an appointment there anyway and while you get your hair done, I can apply for the job." Ino told Sakura excitedly.

"I don't see why not. But we better hurry, my appointment is in half an hour," Sakura said as she looked up from her watch. "Thanks for the directions Tenten. See you later." She said as she and Ino started walking away.

"Anytime and bye!" she shouted.

She waved at them and then watched as they disappeared behind the wooden exterior of the café lodge. She took another sip and then took a whiff of the air.

"The bagels are done." She said out-loud to herself.

She took her drink with her and went over to the oven. The bagels had perfectly risen and smelt of perfection. Her mouth watered even more.

'Maybe just one?' she thought.

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"How may I help you?" she asked as she looked at the male customer who had come up to the counter.

"Hi, I'm looking for a good party tune. What would you recommend?" he asked with a flirtatious smile.

She smiled back at him and then tapped her nails against the black counter. The music shop that she worked in was practically all black and set for a party scene. The walls were all black and had fragments of neon colors covering spots of it here and there. The shelves were a nice metallic silver color and the lights were club ones.

"That depends, what type of party are you having?" she asked.

"American pop rock." He responded.

She smiled, one of her favorite categories. Oddly specific though but whatever. She didn't mind.

"In that case, I suggest Paramore." She went to the large shelf behind her and searched for the right CD. She found it and then went back to the counter and placed it there in front of the male. "They're an awesome band and outta get your party people moving." She said.

She removed her hand from the top of the case and the male picked it up. He studied it for a moment and a smirk appeared on his face. He then handed her the CD.

"I'll take it." He said.

"Cool." She responded.

She went over to the cash register and swiped the bar code under the red light thing. The price showed up and she said it to the customer. He gave her his credit card and she did the necessary steps required to ring up the CD. Once she was done, she handed both things back to him and he gave her a smile.

"Thanks." He said as she gave him the receipt that was printed.

"Anytime." She responded.

He left the counter and she went back to listening to the music that was playing. She didn't know the name of the song or who sung it but she just had to find out. Because she really, really liked it.

"Hey Yayuki." She heard.

She smiled at the sound of the familiar voice. She turned around from her position of fixing some of the CDs in the box next to the large shelf to facing the counter where two of her friends were.

"Hey Sakura, Ino, what's up?" she asked as she went over to the area closest to them.

"Well, we just wanted to see if you're ready to come to the salon with us today." Ino said.

Ino gave her a smile and she felt a bit guilty. She had completely forgotten that she and the girls were supposed to have a spa-day today. She felt so guilty about forgetting but she had to be honest with them.

"Sorry guys but I'm afraid that I can't go with you today." She said with an apologetic look on her face.

"Why?" Sakura asked.

"It's my first day here, and I can't exactly get off early on my first day. That's not a good thing. Maybe Hinata can go with you?" she suggested.

"Not you too Yayuki. First Tenten and now… ugh. Where is Hinata?" Ino asked.

"She's probably working a-" Ino interrupted her.

"We might as well not try to go see if she can come anyway. If she's working then she won't be able to come. How about you just call her and see if she can." Ino said.

She closed her mouth and then pulled out her phone. It was on the carrier attached to her skirt. Her uniform consisted of a black shirt with grey buttons –the shirt stopped right above her belly button and people could see her music belly button piercing. She also was allowed to wear anything else that she wanted. Today she wore a grey denim skirt that reached her thigh with black leggings and her hair was up in a high ponytail. She wore some white Nikes with socks.

She dialed Hinata's number and then put her phone to her ear. She looked at Sakura and Ino who were patiently waiting for her to end the call.

"Hello?" she heard on the other end.

"Yeah hi Hinata, listen, Sakura and Ino want to know if you're gonna be able to come with them to the salon today." She said.

From the other end she heard barking. Hinata had gotten a job at the local pet boutique. It had a spa, kennel, hotel and pretty much everything else that a person could sue to spoil their pet. The campus allowed pets, just as long as they don't get in the way of anything serious. Hinata was the vet there.

"Was that today?" even though she didn't finish, she already knew the answer to that question. "Tell them sorry but I'm not gonna be able to go with them. One of the females just had a litter of puppies and they need to be taken care of immediately." Hinata said through the phone.

"Okay then Hinata, I'll tell them. And don't worry, I'm sure they'll understand." She said.

"Thanks Yayuki, bye." Hinata said through the phone.

"Bye." She said.

She removed the phone from her ear and then ended the call. She then put it back in its carrier and gave the girls an apologetic smile.

"What's her excuse?" Sakura asked with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"A new batch of puppies was just born at the pet boutique where she works. She sends her apologies." She finished.

Ino let out an irritated growl and she just gave a nervous laugh. But after a few more seconds of Ino calming down, the girl looked back up at her and then pulled her side bang to the side just to have it plop back in front of her eye.

"Alright then," she said as she turned to Sakura. "Looks like it's just you and me today. Let's head over to the salon." Ino said.

"Okay, bye Yayuki." Sakura said as they were leaving the store.

"Bye Sakura, good luck on your date tonight." She said.

The door closed and she let out a sigh. She then went back to fixing the box full of new CDs. She looked at each of their titles and then nearly blew up in excitement.

"The New Britney Spears CD, now way." She said as she held 'Femme Fatale' in her hand. She just had to have it.

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"Why did she have to remind me about my date?" Sakura said to Ino as they began to walk to the salon.

"Oh relax Sakura. You know that she had nothing but good intentions." Ino said to her.

They walked up the steps that led to the middle part of the shopping center. Around them, college-goers walked talking to one another. Many of them were carrying bags from the multiple stores that they had gone to earlier.

"I know, but I had just forgotten about my nervousness and now it's back." She said.

They turned a corner and had the salon within their sights. She could clearly see the 'Help Wanted' sign placed on the plexiglass window of the shop. She turned to Ino who had a determined glint in her eyes.

"You're gonna get the job Ino. I'm sure of it." She said.

"Thanks Sakura." Ino said.

They opened the door to the salon and heard a small ding indicating that someone had just entered. They walked up to the receptionist's desk and the college girl working there looked up at them.

"Welcome to Bombshell, how may I help you?" the girl asked.

"Yes, I'm Haruno Sakura and I have an appointment here for 12. This is Ino, she'd like to apply for the job here." Sakura said.

The girl flipped the pages of the large book in front of her. It reminded her of the first day that she arrived at the college and the woman went through the much larger book looking for her name.

"Okay then, Sakura, you're chair is waiting right over there." said the girl as she pointed to an empty seat in front of one of the hair-dressers.

"Alright then, I'll see you later Ino." She said as she walked to the empty chair.

She wasn't sure how long the interview might take –she was pretty sure that one was required- but she knew one thing, if it involved doing a test run, Ino would surely ace it.

"Okay, wish me luck Sakura." Ino said.

"Good luck." She replied.

She reached the chair and took her seat. The hair dresser there seemed a bit annoyed –she wondered why- but put a towel over her anyway.

"So what do you want sweetheart?" the woman asked.

"I have a date tonight, and I need my hair washed and curled." She responded.

"A date huh?" if there was one thing that always happened at a salon besides fixing hair, then it was gossip. "Tell me sweetheart, with whom?" the woman asked a she wrapped the plastic apron over her form and began to tie it.

She then led her to the washing station. She sat down in the purple chair there and the woman swiveled it around so that her hair was in the sink. She heard the water turn on and watched as the woman slipped on some gloves and got out some supplies from the cupboard above them.

"This boy." She said.

"I know that it's a boy sweetheart. What I meant was, what is his name?" the woman asked.

She felt the coldness of the heavy liquid that was the shampoo being applied to her hair. She smelt it, it was coconut. She really liked coconut, she just hoped that Atsushi liked it as well.

"Come on sweetheart stay with me, what's his name?" the woman asked again.

"Atsushi." She finally replied.

The woman lathered her hair and she felt her scalp being roughly massaged. It slightly hurt but she knew that it was for a good reason. The woman was just making sure that her hair got perfectly clean.

"Atsushi, that doll face is your date? I've heard that several girls have asked him out before but he always refused. Now I know why." The woman said.

She slightly blushed the color of her hair. She heard the woman let out a small laugh and then begin to rinse her hair of the shampoo. She heard a squirting noise and felt more cold shampoo being applied.

"So what are you to him? His girlfriend?" the woman asked.

"Not even," she said a bit too quickly. The woman raised a blonde eyebrow at her and she blushed and looked down. "It's just our first date." She finished.

"Ahh, I see. You're nervous. Don't worry sweetie, Atsushi is one of the nicest boys that you'll ever meet. I should know. He's the little brother of one of my favorite clients." The woman said.

'Score!' she thought in her mind. If this woman knew Atsushi that well then she could surely get some details on what he's like. I mean sure she'll find out a few characteristics of his tonight, but she just needed to know a bit more about him. Wait, he had a big sister?

"He has a sister?" she asked, repeating her very thoughts.

"Oh yes, sweet girl. You know, she works at the pet boutique. She's in love with animals. She often comes here to get a few tips on what to do with animal hair. I mean, hair is hair after all." the woman said.

Another bonus. The girl works at the pet boutique just like Hinata. She has never been so happy to have her friends actually work.

The woman rinsed out the shampoo and then she heard another squirt. This one smelt different. Kinda like… strawberries. Wow, coconut and strawberry. That was such a delightful scent. It also meant that the woman was now applying conditioner to her hair.

"Really, so she's the hair dresser there?" she asked.

"One of the best of the best. You know she once actually smoothed out the wrinkles of a Chinese Sharpay. I don't know how she did it, but the owner sure loved it." The woman said.

"Wow, that's amazing." She said.

"Oh you bet. But she's at her busiest at the moment. There's a pet show coming up and all the employees at the pet boutique are busy training, and making all the pets look fabulous. Ugh, I can only imagine what they must be going through." The woman said.

'No wonder Hinata couldn't come today.' She thought. She felt slightly guilty for being a bit mad at her closest friend. It wasn't her fault that it was their busiest time of the year. And all the stress that Hinata might be feeling at the moment. Making sure that all the pets are in tip-top shape so they can be able to compete… man. She sure had to give the girl props.

The water was turned off and she felt her wet hair hit the back of the towel that was wrapped around her. The woman removed her gloves and then took her back to the chair.

"I'm gonna cut off your ends sweetheart. Not a lot, just about an inch." The woman said.

She shook her head and she stared into the mirror as the silver scissors came into view in one hand, and a small comb in the other.

* * *

"And what makes you qualified for the job?" the owner of the hair salon asked.

She was seated in the brown leather chair in front of the desk. The owner of the fabulous unisex salon was behind the oak desk I a large leather chair. While she expected it to be a 'he' it was actually a 'she'. Normally people would automatically consider girls, but she always thought the un-thinkable. The woman had long brown hair that was dyed red at the bottom. It looked so cool.

"Well, I've done the hair for my friends for the past five years… I'm really good at doing detailed nail art and… I'm a hard worker." She said.

She had her hands placed on her lap and had a serious face on. The woman eyed her and she was beginning to feel uncomfortable. The woman then smiled and leaned back in her chair.

"I'll start you off on a test. The next person who walks through the door will be your first client. You will cater to their need and if they like what you did, I'll hire you." Said the woman. She smiled but then the smile disappeared as the woman spoke again. "But, if one hair is out place or one split end not taken care of, you will never work in the salon business ever again." The woman warned. "Got that blondie?"

"Yes ma'am, I won't disappoint." She said with complete confidence even though inside she was freaking out.

"Very well," the woman got up and left the chair. She headed towards the door and Ino followed close behind. They walked through the hallway that led to the front of the salon where all the action happened. "That will be your training station," the woman pointed to an empty chair stocked with supplies. "And there is your training dummy."

Ino looked at the person who entered and her mouth nearly dropped. No way, that was her! At the door stood a pissed off looking Minamo. She seemed to have gotten skinnier over the summer because she had something close to a model's figure. She was dressed in black and red and had black lipstick on. Was she… goth?

"Got that?" the woman said.

"Yes… I'll get started." She said.

She went over to Minamo as the woman went back to her office. She stood in front of the girl who raised a red eye-brow at her but then gave her a small smile.

"Hello there Ino." Minamo said.

"Minamo, it is you. What happened to you?" she asked.

Minamo smirked and then began walking over to the empty chair that Ino would use to take her 'test'. The girl sat down and Ino put on the black apron that covered all of her front body up to her thighs and tied it in the back and at the neck. She then pushed on the peddle that would raise the chair up higher.

"I turned over a new leaf. After high school, I decided on creating a new identity for myself. Karin stayed the same. But me, I changed." Minamo said.

She held a mess of Minamo's red hair to study it. Seems like she'd have to get her roots dyed, her split ends cut, and her hair washed. Wow, she really did change after high school. The Minamo she once knew would never let her hair get like that.

"Okay, so what do you want?" she asked.

"I want the ends of my hair dyed black. Maybe you can even add some dark blue streaks to the bottom part of it as well. Not fully, just the ends, along with the black. Oh yeah, and I want my hair washed." Minamo said.

"Big request, but I can do it. Anything else?" she asked as she took Minamo over to the washing station.

"Yes, why is one of your friends dating my brother?" Minamo asked bitterly.

She wrapped a total around Minamo and made sure that her hair was on top. She then turned on the water and grabbed the shampoo that was at the workstation. She then began pre-soaking Minamo's hair and then began washing it.

"Because they like each other, duh." She said.

She heard Minamo let out a groan and she couldn't help but roll her eyes at this. For crying out loud, the two girls were roommates right now. They should at least have gotten close to being able to call each other 'roommate' or something like that.

"Ugh, I don't understand what he sees in her. Before he liked that one girl… Tenten, and now he's that girl's boyfriend? What is wrong with my brother?" she asked.

She couldn't help but laugh a bit at this. She grabbed the hose and began to rinse Minamo's hair. Then she began applying the second cycle of shampoo. Wait a second, did she just say what she thought she just said.

"Hold on, before, that day at the house, he was talking about Tenten?" she asked.

"Who else would he be talking about? He always liked girls who could kick ass. At first he liked Sakura, but then he saw Tenten's attitude as an attribute to making her 'cute'. But finally, after apologizing to Yayuki and going on several outings with the chick, he gave up on Tenten and went for her. It seems like he's happy about it too." Minamo said.

Salon gossip was the absolute best. She rinsed Minamo's hair one last time and began applying the conditioner. The bottle of which it came in said that she would have to let it set for a good ten minutes before being allowed to remove it. So she applied the conditioner and then used a bobby pin to put Minamo's hair up into an up-do.

"Then why can't you be happy for him?" she asked as they both walked back to the station. There she would start mixing the required dyes for the hair. "I mean, isn't that how families usually are? Happy for one another whenever they find someone they love?"

"Love?" Minamo repeated as she took a seat in the chair and stared at her reflection. "That emotion doesn't exist in him. He only lusts after girls, he never loves them."

"But it seems like he loves Yayuki," she responded as she started to pour and stir the contents of the black hair dye bottle in a plastic container. "He calls her that a lot. And he seems to mean it too."

Minamo scoffed at this and then looked at her in the face. She placed the plastic container filled with black hair dye on the black try next to her. The tray was long and moveable. It held rollers, and compartments filled with beauty supplies.

"He really calls her 'love'?" Minamo asked softly.

It surprised her and she shook her head. Then she watched as Minamo let out a sigh and then rested her elbow on the arm rest and placed her head in her hands.

"Then I guess you're right. He's never called any of the other girls he's dated 'love'. I guess I'll just have to accept the fact that my brother fell for my enemy. Or ex-enemy I mean." Minamo said.

Had she been drinking water, she would've done a spit-take or something. Was she serious? Oh my god, she really did change over the summer. And it seems like it's for the better too.

"You're gonna try and get along with her?" she asked as she placed the second plastic container filled with blue dye in the tray and then led Minamo back to the washing station. There she took out the pin and began to rinse the conditioner out.

"I might as well. If he ends up marrying the chick, I can't end up hating a fellow family member." Minamo said.

'Marrying?' she thought.

* * *

.

.

.

* * *

They stood in front of the café. From the window, they could clearly see one of the girls working there. She handed a customer a bag full of goods and then the customer left. She then went back to drinking her drink and eating a bagel.

"Good luck Neji." Sasuke said as he and the other three left the scene.

Neji watched as his friends walked away then he turned his attention back to the café door. Taking in a deep breath, he pushed open the door and walked in. The smells of the café filled his nose. The cream and jelly-filled pastries gave off a heavenly aroma. He wasn't into too many sweets but even he had to admit that he could go for a donut.

He walked up to the counter where Tenten had his back turned towards him. Even from behind she looked like a lovely creature. He now had a close look at how much she had changed over the summer. The first thing he noticed was that she had cut her hair. It looked better that way.

He run the bell next to him and Tenten spoke while she turned around.

"How may I h-" she paused mid-sentence.

He smirked at the shocked look on her face. He honestly didn't know why she was so surprised. She had seen him the other day at the pool. Of course he was talking to another girl who tried to get his number but, she still saw him. And now that she had fully turned around, he could clearly see how much she had really changed.

Her face had more of a feminine touch to it. She wore make-up. That was a big change because before she never did. She always said that she was beautiful without the 'whore-paint' as she called it. But she looked gorgeous with it on. He noticed her new piercing and the fact that she wore small hoop earrings. Everything about her seemed girly-er. And he had to admit, it was an improvement.

"Neji… uh… hi." She said.

"Nice to see you again Tenten." he responded.

He kept his voice cool, calm, and collected. Making sure that it sounded like he didn't even care if he was talking to his ex-girlfriend or not.

"Uh… yeah… w-what do you want… I mean… can I help you?" she asked.

She was tripping in her words. It was very rare when a person would ever get the chance to see Tenten like that. At a loss for words. But not for him. He had dated her before and he had seen every side of Tenten. The good, the bad, and the very bad. Now he was dealing with that same Tenten but with a few modifications.

"Let me get a coffee and a donut. Plain." He said.

She cocked her hip and placed her hand on it with an eyebrow raised. He had never really seen that pose on her. Several other girls have used it before but when she does it, it looks a million times better.

"Coffee and a donut, what are you, a cop-in-training?" she asked.

He smirked at her and leaned into the counter more. His hands on either side of his body and close to his chest. She blushed a bit as he got closer. Then she looked away and met his eyes once the blush was gone.

"That's a stereo-type Tenten-chan." He said.

He watched as her eyes widened a bit and he just let out a small chuckle. Honestly, if she thought that he had changed a bit, she hasn't seen anything yet.

"N-neji," she said.

He watched as her eyes hardened and she turned around and began preparing his order. He smirked and noticed that she had left her drink on the counter. He stared at it for a few moments. He was thirsty. So he grabbed her drink and began to drink a bit. It was a latte, freshly brewed with… foam. Tenten always was addicted to this stuff.

"You're order will be ready in… hey!" she shouted. She went over to him and then snatched the drink from his hand. "Hands off, it's mine."

He laughed a bit at her childish attitude. He then grabbed her bagel and bit from it just to have her snatch it out of his hands like the drink.

"Yours is almost done… so stop eating mine." She said.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because it's mine and not yours. And you're not my boyfriend, so you're not allowed to eat my food." She said.

At the mention of him not being her boyfriend, he just ran a hand through his hair and watched as her face changed from an angry facial expression, to a shocked one. Then she put her stuff down on a nearby table and turned away from him. Guess that it still hurts her, him, not so much anymore. He's not upset over the break-up as he is trying to get his revenge on her over it. And he knows that it wasn't her fault that they broke-up but, she could've at least given him another chance.

"Hm, it seems like you're still not over it. I for one got over the break-up a long time ago." He watched as her head shot up when he said this. Her eyes seemed almost sad. "Why do you think I'm not fazed by the fact that I'm talking to you? I'm over it Tenten, I suggest you should do the same." He said.

Her eyes were slightly wide and it looked like she was trying to hold back tears. Apparently along with her new look, she had gotten weaker. This was good, this he could use. She then turned around and went and got his stuff.

"Here you go." She said in a soft voice as she handed him the donut and coffee.

"Thanks, how much?" he asked as he took the bag filled with both of his orders in his hand and then placed it back on the counter so he could grab his wallet.

"Four-fifty." She said.

He handed her a five dollar bill and she gave him back his fifty-cent change. Then he grabbed the bag and left, pocketing the extra change. On his way out, he passed a girl. She was cute and she smiled at him. He gave her back a smirk and when he turned around to look at Tenten, he saw that she was glaring. He didn't know whether it was at him or the girl. But he didn't care because he learned another thing in those few minutes he talked to her… she was the jealous type.

* * *

.

* * *

Yes, it's so crazy right now  
Most incredibly, it's ya girl, Bee  
It's ya boy, young

You ready?  
Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh no no  
Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh no no  
Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh no no  
Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh no no

Yeah, history in the making  
Part two, it's so crazy right now

I look and stare so deep in your eyes  
I touch on you more and more every time  
When you leave I'm begging you not to go  
Call your name two or three times in a row

* * *

She began to mouth the words to the song as it continued to play. She always did love that song. 'Crazy in Love' by Beyonce and Jay-Z was a timeless song to her. She often enjoyed listening to it in any one of her statuses. Single and ready to mingle, off the menu, and pending.

"Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh no no, uh oh, uh oh, uh oh, oh no no," she sang the words to it.

She moved her hips a bit from side-to-side to the beat of the music. Her eyes were closed and she was leaning against the counter. Her elbow on the counter top was supporting her head.

"Hey." She heard.

She opened her eyes to see who was talking to her and she nearly dropped dead. Her heart stopped and she was silent. She stood up from the counter and looked at him.

"Hey." She finally said. Her voice was soft and she made sure that her eyes showed no emotion. She was not about to give him the pleasure of seeing her shocked.

"So you work here now?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

"What was your first clue? Me behind the counter or the uniform?" she asked sarcastically.

"Whatever." He said.

He was still emotionless. Only this time, he seemed a hell-of-a-lot colder than he once was. And his appearance had changed. She may have seen him at the pool the other day –how could she forget seeing her ex-boyfriend in the same location as her and her current boyfriend- but she didn't even talk to him. And now she had a good close up of what he now looked like.

His bangs were longer and nearly covered his eyes. His eyes were still a crystal-white with the black pupil in the middle. His face had gotten those manly features to it that really did benefit him. He was dressed in all black and there was a hood over his head.

"What do you want Hitomi?" she asked with a bitter voice.

"An IPod gift card Yayuki." He said with as much anger to his voice as she had given him.

She gave him small glare but then let out a sigh and shook it off. She was not about to start a fight with her ex. That would just be sad. Instead she put on a stoic face and decided to take care of his request so he can leave faster. She didn't hate him -again- she just didn't want to cause a scene or something.

"How much?" she asked.

"Fifty." Was his one-word reply.

She turned around and went to the left where the racks were that held things life headphones, chargers, cases and… what Hitomi wanted, a fifty dollar IPod gift-card.

She got the blue card and then walked over to him. She then placed it on the counter and then wrapped her arms over her chest as he looked at it and then at her. There was an awkward silence between them and the song still played.

* * *

Got me looking so crazy right now, your love's  
Got me looking so crazy right now  
(Oh crazy)  
Got me looking so crazy right now, your touch  
(You're in love)  
Got me looking so crazy right now  
(Love)

Got me hoping you'll page me right now, your kiss  
(Hey)  
Got me hoping you'll save me right now  
Looking so crazy in love's got me looking  
(Hey)  
Got me looking so crazy in love

I'm looking so crazy in love's got me looking  
Got me looking so crazy in love

* * *

"Well?" she said.

"Well what?" he asked.

"Are you gonna buy it or not?" she asked with an irritated tone to her voice.

He was beginning to piss her off. Why was it that before, she was so much in love with the guy that she would practically do anything for him. And now… she just wanted him gone and out of her sight.

"Of course I'm gonna but it, but you haven't rung it up yet Yayuki. Therefore I can't pay and leave." He said.

She stared at him bit wide-eyed but then she took the card and she scanned the bar-code over the red scanner. The price came up and she said the price to him.

"That'll be $50, the same amount that it's worth on iTunes." She said.

She waited while he got out the money and she turned her attention to the door. It opened and she wanted to really drop dead that time. Did the world want her to cause a scene? Did the world want her to get fired? Apparently… because here comes her current boyfriend, Miomi.

"Hey love." He said.

'Why me?' she thought.

"Hey Miomi, what are you doing here?" she asked.

She hadn't forgotten that Hitomi was right there in front of her. But she couldn't just ignore her new boyfriend just because her ex-boyfriend was there. I mean, there's a reason why he's called her 'ex-boyfriend'.

"I see you're looking as beautiful as always." He said with a smirk.

He now stood right next to Hitomi who was completely quiet and just watched on. She looked at Hitomi and then at Miomi.

"You didn't answer my question." She responded.

"I know, but I figured that before we get to interrogation, I try to soften you up before my torture." Miomi said.

"What torture?" she asked.

He leaned in closer to her and she could clearly see the mischievous glint in his eyes. He smirked as he now got mere inches away from her lips.

"Not being able to see you. It kills me." he said.

* * *

He brought his lips to her and gave her a soft kiss. He watched with slight anger as the douche tried to deepen the kiss and got mild satisfaction when Yayuki pulled back.

"That's sweet." Yayuki said. "But a bit un-called for."

He smirked as he remembered one important fact that he could sue to easily end Yayuki and Miomi's current relationship… she hated sweetness. Not all types of sweetness, just when a guy is too sweet to her. He easily remembered that while they were dating, Yayuki constantly told him to never change. That if he dared try to act all romantic and shit with her, she'll hate him forever.

"Couldn't help myself," Said Miomi as he went back to his position of standing behind the counter. He turned to him and then a cheesy grin formed on his face. "Oh, hey roomy."

"R-roomy?" Yayuki asked.

"That's right love, Hitomi here is my roommate." Miomi said.

He looked over at Yayuki whose face had an expression close to pure shock on it. If he had been the same way he was before, he would've smirked at her reaction. But since he's not the same, he just kept his emotionless face on and watched the whole scene go down.

"Great." Yayuki said with sarcasm in her voice.

"I'm not too happy about it either." He mumbled.

He heard Miomi let out a chuckle and Yayuki gave out an awkward laugh. This was beginning to annoy him. If Miomi didn't leave within the next couple minutes, his window might be broken.

"So love, care to go out again tonight?" Miomi asked.

"No thanks Miomi, we went out last night remember?" she turned around to mess with something behind her. "And besides," she said as she turned back around with a CD in her hand. "I'm afraid that I won't be off today until 10." She finished.

She handed him the CD and Hitomi took a look at it. It was one of the old CDs for one of his favorite bands, My Chemical Romance. He gave her a questioning look and she actually gave him small smile.

"I thought that you might want to get it as well. I know that you must be bored to death at the moment and consider this a… gift of some-sort." She said.

He handed it back to her and she scanned it. He was glad that she did that. It not only meant that she still had feelings for him, but it seems likes he still remembers a lot about what he likes and dislikes from when they dated. She then handed him back the CD and gave him his new total.

"That'll be $70, tax included." She said.

He handed her his credit card and she began to scan it and do all of the required steps to make his purchase official.

"Ten? That sucks… maybe I can sneak by your room later tonight and you can make it up to me?" Miomi said.

It angered him what the guy just said. He did not just imply having sex with his Yayuki. And yes HIS Yayuki because whether they're dating or not Yayuki will always be his. He was her first love, kiss and time.

"Not happening," she said as she handed him back his credit card. She then waited for the receipt to print. "The campus has strict rules about that and frankly," she handed him the printed receipt. "I just don't want to." She finished.

He inwardly smirked as he heard this. Miomi wouldn't be getting what he wanted from Yayuki for a long time. She wasn't an easy chick.

"Oh come on love, how long are you gonna keep me waiting?" Miomi asked.

"As long as I feel like it. Now please go Miomi, I have work to do and you're a distraction." She said firmly.

He watched as Miomi let out a sigh and then began to walk away. It seemed like he was slightly disappointed and he couldn't help but become a bit of a sadist over Miomi's current pain. The red-haired male then left the store and went on his way.

"Nice boyfriend you got there." he commented.

She looked at him and then gave him a small glare. Her hands were slightly on her hips and her plump lips were pouted forward. She looked hot. He wouldn't deny the fact that she looked hot whenever she did that. Or pretty much anything for that matter.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"I mean, he only wants one thing from you Yayuki and you know it. Remember, he's the bastard that broke us up in the first place. And if you're too blind to see what his true intentions are then I guess it's a good thing that we're through. Because I don't date stupid girls." he said.

With that he turned around and began heading towards the exit. He shoved the CD and card in the pockets of his sweater and just as he was a step away from the door he felt someone tug at the hood to his sweater. He didn't need to turn around to know who it was.

"Listen here Hitomi," she said as he turned his head to look at her. Her face was slightly pink from being angry. "I don't give a crap what Miomi did, or what you think about him but I am not a stupid girl." He fully turned and her hands were now at her sides. They were balled into fists and her knuckles were close to being white. "If anything, you're the only stupid one around here you dumbass." She said.

"How the hell am I a dumbass?" he asked.

He took a step towards her and she only crossed her arms over her chest. Now that she stood right in front of him, he got to perfectly see the uniform that she was wearing. Even though he had gotten over her, he couldn't help but get the urge to just… jump her right then and there. He was still attracted to her.

"You're a dumbass because," she paused and he knew that she didn't have a good reason. "Because…" she was still struggling to find the right words.

"Hm, you're still pathetic Yayuki. Always shooting your mouth off without thinking first." He moved closer to her so that he hovered over her small form. The top of her head reached his neck. "One day," he leaned down so that his mouth was right next to her ear. He noticed the extra piercings that she had gotten. "That's gonna get you killed." And with that he turned around and left the store.

* * *

.

* * *

"Be calm, you can do this, you can do this." Naruto said to himself.

He was right outside the pet boutique where Hinata worked. He knew that she worked there because when he and Sasuke were going to the salon –where Sasuke was gonna confront Sakura-, they passed the boutique and through the window he saw the sunflower of his life handing what seemed to be a new-born baby kitten to one of the people in the waiting room.

"She's just your ex-girlfriend… you're just gonna say 'hi' to her and then make her want you again." He took a step towards the door and placed his hand on the railing. "You can do this." He said.

He pushed open the door and at the same time someone opened it. He saw that it was one of the people that were in the waiting room.

"You first." Naruto said out of courtesy.

The female smiled at him as he held the door open for her. She then walked out the door and when she turned she winked at him. Yep, he was definitely a gentleman. And you wouldn't believe how that one factor got him so many pretty girls as dates. In fact, he might just look up the cute short-haired blonde girl who just left the store.

'No, bad Naruto, focus, Hinata.' he thought.

He entered the boutique and headed straight for the receptionist's desk. There he would ask to see the young girl and… hold on.

He took a look around at the people in the waiting room. They were all holding pets. Didn't he need one? Oh man, how was he gonna be convincing if he didn't have a pet? Man… there goes his perfect plan to see Hinata again.

"May I help you sir?" the girl at the desk asked.

"Uh… yeah… I… I'd like to…" he didn't know what to say.

"Adopt?" she asked.

That was it, he could adopt a pet. And if he remembered well over the whole adoption process, the new pet would have to get checked out by the vet first before they could be taken home.

"Yes exactly, I'd like to adopt a pet." He said with a bit too much enthusiasm.

The girl gave him a smile and when he smiled back, she blushed a bit. Then she stood up from her chair and grabbed a braided rope with several keys on it.

"Come with me, I'll take you to the kennel." She said.

He shook his head as she began to lead him to where they held all the adoptable animals. They walked through a brown door down the hallway and then turned to the left. It occurred to him that for being a boutique, the building was large. They reached a cream-colored door and she used one of the keys on the chain to unlock the door and then pushed it open.

"Here you are sir, feel free to look around. When you've made your decision or are ready to leave you can exit through that blue door over there." she pointed to the door on the other side of the kennel.

"Alright… thanks." He said to her.

"No problem." She said.

She left and he was left with holding the door to the kennel open. Remembering that it was his ticket to see Hinata at work and make her all… flustered, he went inside and took a look around. There was a small rubber fence on the floor around a padded area. Inside that area were young puppies and kittens.

"Hi there," he heard a cheery voice say.

He turned towards the voice to see a young girl there. She seemed to be around his age and was very cute. She had brown hair that reached her shoulders and wore black glasses that were shaped like ovals turned to the side. All in all, she was very attractive and about Hinata's height it seemed.

"Hi, I'm Naruto and I wanna adopt a… kitten." He said.

He thought about saying 'puppy' but then he remembered that Hinata was absolutely in love with kittens. So if he brought one to her, she'd just have to feel something again for him.

The girl stood up from her crouched-down spot in the small fence. It looked like she was feeding some of the animals in there. She then fixed her jeans and went over to him. Yep, she was definitely about Hinata's height. Maybe even a bit shorter?

"I'm Etsu, nice to meet you Naruto." Etsu said.

She held out her hand and he shook it. When he touched her skin, he felt warmer all of a sudden. He noticed that she had some of the prettiest brown eyes that he's ever seen. No, bad Naruto. He had to focus on Hinata… no matter how beautiful he thought Etsu was.

She giggled.

"You can let go of my hand now." she said with a smile on her face.

"Uh?" he looked down and saw that he was still shaking her hand. He quickly let go and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Sorry." He said.

"Don't worry about it. Now about the kitten you wanted to adopt," she motioned for him to follow to where the fence was and they both crouched down in front of it and watched as the puppies and kittens interacted. "Do you have a special breed in mind?" she asked.

He looked at her and saw how her eyes seemed so soft like two pools of chocolate, as she looked at the young animals. He smiled and then looked at them himself.

"Not really. I just thought that when I came here… I'd find a special connection with one… you know?" he said.

"Yes," she said softly. He looked back at her and saw that she was looking right at him. He wanted to blush but held it back. "I do know." She said with a knowing smile.

They were silent for a few moments as they stared into each other's eyes. He wanted to get closer to her, to bring her smaller form against his and just kiss her. He wanted to touch her soft-looking dark brown hair with his hand and have her lean into his touch and have a smile plastered on her beautiful face with her eyes closed. Kinda like what he used to do to Hinata.

Oh man Hinata. He had almost forgotten the main reason why he was even in the kennel in the first place. He needed a kitten to get into the vet so he could see his ex-girlfriend.

"Etsu," he said breaking the silence. She turned her head slightly to the side and made a cute noise indicating that she was listening. "About the kitten… do you have nay with like grey and white fur?" he asked.

"Of course, come with me." she said.

They both stood up and then she led him over to where there were a few cages placed. He saw that inside, the cages were padded with a soft cushion and held water and food for the animals. Looks like they really took care of their animals there.

They stopped at one of the cages on the last row. Etsu opened it and pulled out a cute little kitten. He saw that its eyes were closed and its nose was really pink. Its tiny tail moved back and forth slightly and it let out a cute little 'meow'. Etsu had its bottom placed on the palm of her hand while her other hand held its upper body up by holding it just under its front legs.

"What do you think?" she asked.

He saw that it was probably the exact definition for 'cute'. And it had grey-ish white fur with like semi-dark grey patches on it. The patches reminded him of lightning bolts.

He held out his hand and Etsu placed the kitten in his hands. The poor thing was so small. It was the size of both of his large hands put together. He could just see the smile on Hinata's face as he showed her the little bundle of joy. And the shocked look as he gave her the animal to make her fall for him all over again.

"I think it's perfect." He said softly.

He looked at Etsu who pulled her glasses up a bit only to have them fall in place back on the bridge of her nose. She had an adorable smile on her face and then blushed when she realized that he was looking at her.

"S-so you want him?" she stuttered a bit.

"Yep." He answered.

Etsu smiled and then took the kitten away from his hand. She then began walking to the blue door that the first girl had mentioned before and he followed her. He held the door open for her and she gave him an appreciative smile. Then he stepped through and he saw the name on the door that she was currently walking to.

"Hi Hinata, I got one you need to check out. He's being adopted today." Etsu said.

'Finally, get ready to see me Hinata.' he thought.

He stepped through the door marked 'Vet' and stood behind the pretty girl holding his new kitten. He watched as he took in Hinata's form. Last time he saw her, she was half-naked and in a bathing suit. Now she was perfectly dressed in some capris, the dark blue uniform shirt with the logo for the boutique on the area above her right breast and a white veterinarian coat.

"Oh really, who is it?" Hinata asked.

She turned around and he watched as her eyes slightly widened and she sucked in some air. That was exactly the reaction that he was hoping to get from her.

"Hey Hinata." he said in a casual way.

"H-hi Naruto." She said.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Etsu asked as she looked from Hinata to him, and met his eyes.

"We used to date." He answered her question.

"Oh, well then… um… can you check out this little guy's health Hinata? Naruto's gonna adopt him today." Etsu said brining the little kitten within Hinata's reach.

He watched as Hinata grabbed the little kitten –he saw the sparkle in her eyes as she stroked the grey patches of fur it had. She then put it on the examining table and began to give it a check-up. He, on the other hand, shoved his hands into his pockets and watched as his ex worked her magic on the small animal.

"So," he was snapped out of his observation by the sound of Etsu's voice. "I guess I'll leave now. I'll see you later Naruto." She said.

She turned around to leave and he grabbed her wrist just as her left hand was placed on the door. She looked at his grip on her then at him.

"Hold on Etsu, I need to ask you something." He said.

"Shoot." She said.

He let go of his grip on her and then got closer to her. She blushed a bit but then looked up from his chest to his face. He leaned in a bit, closer to her face.

"Would you maybe… like to go out some time?" he asked her softly.

Her irises widened but then resumed their natural size. He watched as she looked behind him –probably making sure that Hinata wasn't listening or something. Then she looked back at him and gave him a soft smile.

"I'd love to go out sometime Naruto. Stop by for your kitty's next check-up and we'll talk more about the details." She said.

The she turned around and left the room. He felt his heart pound and could still smell her scent in the air. It smelt just like honey. He smiled and turned back around. He knew that asking Etsu out probably wasn't the best thing to do when he was trying to make Hinata fall for him but… he couldn't help himself okay. Etsu was just so pretty and… she made him feel so warm and… he couldn't just let her go like that.

"Naruto," came Hinata's voice. He looked at her and watched as she turned away from the examination table and with the kitten held in her hand, she walked to where he stood. "He's in perfect health. Here you go." She said holding the kitten out for him.

He grabbed it and noticed that its eyes were still closed. He really was a new-born kitten. Probably won't open up his eyes for another week or so. He held it and bounced the little guy in his hands.

"Alright, thanks Hinata. So where do I go now?" he asked.

He saw that there was this almost sad look in her eyes. He grinned, pretending that he didn't notice it.

"You go to the adoption office. It's through that door." Hinata said as she pointed to the white door in the room.

"Okay then, I guess I'll be seeing you around?" he asked.

"Yeah, see you around." Hinata said. She still didn't meet his gaze. She just kept looking at the ground and fiddling with her hands. It was her nervous habit. This was good.

He walked towards the door and just as he was about to leave, he turned back around and looked at Hinata.

"Oh and Hinata," he started which grabbed her attention. She looked up at him and he smirked at her. "You look beautiful." He said. She blushed and then looked away. He then went through the door to finish up the adoption or Hinata's new kitty.

* * *

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* * *

"Okay then Minamo, you're finished." Ino said as she removed the towel from around Minamo's shoulders and brushed the extra hair off her clothing.

Minamo studied herself in the mirror. Ino watched as she played with the ends of her hair. She had managed to do everything that Minamo requested with added perfection. She gave her red hair back most of its lost color using a red wash, she dyed four inches of it black at the bottom and managed to give it a blue tint as well.

"I have to admit Yamanaka, this is pretty good." Minamo said through her black lip-stick colored lips.

Ino smiled with pride as she heard this. This would surely secure her spot as the new employee at the salon. She cleaned up some of the scattered supplies on the black cart next to her and then let Minamo down. The girl then looked at her and actually gave her a smile.

"I like it. And if you are an employee here, I'll be coming back. But only you are allowed to do my hair from now on." Minamo said.

Ino shook her head and then Minamo walked away to pay for her styling job at the counter. Ino then finished dusting off all the hair on the chair and then went to the owner's office. She just hoped that the owner would think that she did a good job. She really wanted to be an employee there.

She reached the dark cream door and knocked on it.

"Come in." she heard.

She twisted the knob and then opened the door. She stepped in and then closed it. She then walked up to the desk and with a nervous smile, she took a seat back in the chair that just around four hours ago, she had first sat in and was given the assignment.

"I monitored you the entire time. And from what the girl said just before she left, I can see that you will make a wonderful attribute to this salon." The woman said. Ino watched as she opened a desk drawer and then threw her a black apron. "Welcome to the team, Ino."

Ino opened up the folded slick, black apron in her hands. On it was the logo for the salon. A black bomb outlined by white. And on that bomb was her name… written in plain white yellow and script.

"Oh my god… thank you." She said.

"No need to thank me. You're services here will be thanks enough. That chair that you used today and all those supplies are now yours." The woman stood up from her chair and then leaned in and extended a hand towards Ino. Ino hurriedly grabbed it and shook it. "You start tomorrow at 7, don't be late."

Ino let go of the woman's hand and then took a look back at the official uniform of the salon. She felt extreme joy fill her as she looked back at her name printed on it. She wondered when the woman had gotten it done. Probably hours ago because then it wouldn't be ready on time.

"I won't be late Ms…" she didn't know the woman's last name.

"Sato, call me Mrs. Sato." The woman said.

"Okay then, I'll see you tomorrow at 7 Mrs. Sato," she said as she went towards the door. "And thanks again for the job." Ino said.

She opened the door and then stepped through it, closed it and then headed back to the salon area. She clutched the apron to her chest like it was her life-line. Once she reached the salon area, she searched for the familiar pink hair, and once she found it, she went over to it.

"Sakura guess what," she said to pinkette who was getting her hair curled at the moment.

"What is it Ino?" Sakura asked.

"I got the job. I start tomorrow at 7." She said excitedly.

"Oh congratulations on getting the job here blondie, we really needed the extra-help." The woman who was curling Sakura's hair said.

"Thanks." Ino responded. She then folded the apron back and held it in her left hand.

"Ino this is Miyoko, she's been doing my hair for the past couple hours and giving me some dating advice. She knows Atsushi." Sakura said.

"Hi there." Ino said as she shook the woman's hand.

"Hey, so I saw you doing that girl's hair blondie. When you finished, it looked amazing. You did a good job." Miyoko said.

"Thanks, it was tough though. I had to do so many things and make sure that it turned out perfect." Ino said.

"Well it certainly turned out perfect. I mean the hair-dye and everything. Plus the way you just gave her hair that healthier look instantly, that usually takes a person years to master, that was just amazing." Miyoko said.

Ino played with stands of her hair from the end of her ponytail as she slightly blushed at the praise. It wasn't that she wasn't used to people praising her but it just was a little bit embarrassing.

"Thanks. Hey since you seem to know so much about hair, and since I'm kinda new to working at a salon and everything, can you maybe be my mentor? You know, just until I get the hang go things?" Ino asked.

"I'd be happy to blondie." Miyoko said.

"Great, I'll see you at home Sakura." Ino said.

"Wait Ino, where are you going?" Sakura asked.

"I'm gonna go visit the girls and tell them the good news. By the time I get back, you'll probably be at your date. Oh and you better tell me what happens the next day." Said Ino. "Bye!" she yelled as she left the salon.

"Bye!" Sakura yelled.

* * *

Ino ran out the door and headed for the closest place where one of her friends worked at that she knew would take the least amount of time to get to. So she set her mind on heading over to the café where Tenten should still be on the clock at the moment.

She ran up the stairs that led to the upper level of the Shopping Area where the café that Tenten worked at was. She passed several small carts on the way selling treats such as ice cream, slushies, icees and water and sodas and other things that people would buy on hot days such as the one they were experiencing.

The uniform was hugged to her chest by her hands. The brightest smile on Earth was cemented to her face. She looked up at the sky and saw that it was near sunset. The sky was nothing but an explosion of oranges, pinks and browns. She was so busy looking up at the sky that she wasn't paying attention and she bumped into someone.

She and the mystery person went falling down to the ground and she landed on top. She opened her eyes and looked up at the face of the person that she landed on.

"Shikamaru!" she exclaimed.

Shikamaru groaned as he began to sit up. He rubbed his head with his left hand and then opened his eyes and looked at her.

"Hi Ino." He said.

She got up off of him and then stood up. He stood up as well and then a silence fell between them both. During that silence, Ino took the time to study the newly-gained features of the man that used to own her heart under lock and key. He seemed more sophisticated. A feature that she wished she had as she grew older. She just didn't find it fair that while woman had to constantly diet and watch their weight as they get older, men just had to buy a silk robe and one of those fancy pipes as they get more distinguished looking.

Shikamaru had also grown in height and… he had changed his hair! Instead of having it in its usual spiky pony-tail, Shikamaru now wore his hair flat on his head with the sharp edges of it cascading over his eyes.

That was just NOT RIGHT! She had tried multiple times before to get him to change his hair when they were dating. And all he said was that he wasn't gonna change for her and how troublesome she was. And now here he was, with a new hairstyle. She still wondered how she even knew that that was him in the first place.

"So are you gonna say something or are you gonna continue to stare?" Shikamaru said.

She looked at him and then looked away. She hated how he had changed his hair. Well she liked it, it did work for him but, she hated how he did it after they broke up. What was it no girlfriend, new person? What did he get another girlfriend and this time he changed for her? What did his new girlfriend have that she didn't? Why was she so damn special?

Ino took in a deep breath to calm down. She was over-reacting over something that really wasn't her business. So what if he might have a new girl? She could just as easily get a new guy. Even though she just might end up comparing her new guy to Shikamaru in every way, shape and form.

"You changed." She finally said.

"Of course I changed. A person often does over the summer before they go to college." He said.

She made an annoyed sound and looked at him in the eyes. They were still that beautiful brown-y-grey that she knew and loved. She could stare into his eyes all day. And it hurt to think of the possibility that some girl might be thinking the same thing at the moment.

"So… how've you been?" she asked.

"Fine, after high school I worked at a company for an internship. I stopped working there to come here. I'm beginning to think it was a mistake." He said.

"Because of me?" she said it before she could even register that she said it.

"What?" Shikamaru said.

"Uh… nothing… forget my last comment, it's not important. Anyways," she couldn't believe that she had just said that to him. Now he's gonna think that she's still in love with him. "What company did you use to work for?" she asked.

"I worked for-" he was cut off.

"Shika-kun!" a girl ran up to them and instantly hugged Shikamaru's arm to her chest. "So glad to see you, I missed you so very much." she said.

Ino felt her heart break at that moment. She had been right. He did have a girlfriend. And worst of all… she was the Shikamaru fan girl leader from high school! It was true. Her name was Kameko. She had short blonde hair that reached her neck with the tips dyed a light blue to match her eyes. Despite the fact that she hated her guts, Ino had to admit that Kameko was pretty.

She had a nice figure which was surprisingly well-hidden behind a Robert Rodriguez sequined halter top in red and some navy blue shorts with a pair of white flip-flops. It was probably the first outfit that she had ever seen on the girl that didn't show too much skin or anything. It was –and she hated this fact- perfect.

"Oh hi Ino, I didn't know you went here too." Kameko said.

Kameko had stopped pressing Shikamaru's arm against her chest and instead held his hand. Their fingers were laced together and he didn't pull away.

"Yes well… I arrived about four days ago. In fact I'm afraid that I have to go. I'm meeting up with Tenten and the others at the café." She said.

"Well, it's good to know that you're here. And listen Ino, about all the crap that happened between us in high school… could you maybe find it in your heart to forgive me?' Kameko asked.

The look on Kameko's face was that close to an angel's. It showed that Kameko really did want to be given a second chance. And that made Ino hate her all the more.

"Of course, it's all in the past now." she responded.

"Great, I can just tell that me and you are gonna get along just fine now." Kameko said as she tightened her grip on Shikamaru's hand and got closer to him.

"Yeah, well I'll see you two later. Bye Kameko… bye Shikamaru." Ino said as she turned around and waved at them.

Kameko waved back to her and then she wanted to go back and punch Kameko in the mouth. She just kissed Shikamaru. And worst of all… he didn't pull away.

* * *

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* * *

Few hours later

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"You look beautiful." Atsushi said as he stood in front of her door.

Sakura blushed at the comment. For their first date, she decided on wearing a light green shirt with a bunny on it with a long purple cardigan that went to her thighs –a belt tied around her waist to keep it close to her body. Some jeans that reached an inch past her knees, and purple flats. She also wore some simple make-up and hoop earrings.

"Thank you, you look very nice yourself." She said.

Atsushi was dressed casual as well. Wearing a white shirt with a red checkered one open as if it were a jacket and a pair of ripped jeans with some Nikes, she knew that she hadn't under-dressed for the date. She was glad that he chose on wearing something that he would normally wear. It meant that they were going somewhere nice and simple.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah, let me just close the door and tell my roommate that I'm leaving." She said.

She went back inside, leaving the door open for him and then grabbed her keys. She then walked back and before she closed the door she shouted.

"Karin I'm leaving!" she said.

"Alright, I'll tell your friend when she gets here!" she heard Karin shout from the bathroom.

She closed the door and then locked it. She then pocketed her keys and Atsushi began to lead her to the elevators. Since the time that she and Karin have spent together, Sakura could honestly say that they were something close to being acquaintances. Karin hasn't bothered her and in return, she hasn't bothered her. It was like they had finally come to a sense of neutrality.

"So where are we going?" she asked as the elevator doors began to close.

"Well since it is our first date, I was thinking that we head over to the movie theatre and go see which ever movie you want." He said.

'How sweet, he's letting me pick. Sasuke never let me pick.' She thought.

There were so many ways how Atsushi was different from Sasuke. For starters, Atsushi was nice to her. Not that Sasuke wasn't, but he'd never be nice to her in public. And then there was the fact that Atsushi let her have her say in things. Had she been going to the movies with Sasuke, she probably would've ended up seeing a movie that she didn't want to see and probably have a horrible time even though she would've been with the guy she loved.

"In that case, can we go see 'Rango'? I've been dying to see it ever since it came out." She said.

She looked at him and watched as he let out a chuckle at her statement.

"Alright then, 'Rango' it is. It's cute how you still have a child-like personality Sakura. Kinda like me." he said.

Wow, Sasuke never complimented her like that. Well sure he'd give her small compliments like, 'You're beautiful', or 'No one can out-match you in anything' but… there was just a way that Atsushi said it. And how he compared it to his. It made her feel… warm and fuzzy inside. Like she had a bunch of dandelions in her mouth. She liked that feeling.

They went through the door that led outside. He held it open for her and in return, she gave him an appreciative smile. They then began their semi-long walk to the Shopping Center where the movie theatre would be.

"So tell me Atsushi," she said as they began their small stroll under the light of the full moon. "What are your friends like?" she asked.

"My friends huh… well there's this one guy, he was the one who talked me into asking you out in the first place." He said.

"Meaning he set up the stunt to get three of my friends to chase you just so they could pass on the message?" she said.

"Yeah… I hope you don't think that I was too chicken to go up to you and ask you myself. It was just that I'm not interested in that many girls. And it's very rare that I actually get the urge to ask one out. So when I do, I have to make it nice. You know, kinda flashy." He said.

"I feel so honored to be one of the few girls that you've asked out." She said with a play-ish tone to her voice.

He laughed and she giggled a bit. They were currently walking down the steps to the second level. They would have to walk down one more level and then make a turn through the park to reach the movie theatre. It was kinda isolated from the rest of the Shopping Area because it was so big.

"You're funny Sakura. I like girls with a sense of humor. It makes them more fun to be around." He said.

"Well, I am a funny girl sometimes. But I doubt that I'm as funny as you. I often hear you telling your friends jokes when I walk by and they always seem to burst out laughing." She said.

"Thanks, it's good to finally meet a girl who likes comedy. Most of those other girls were so damn stiff that I often though that hidden under their clothes was a whine-up key." He said.

She laughed and they walked down the final step to the third level. She could see the large park within her sights. She wasn't surprised to see that some of the students were out there having barbeques or even throwing parties. The campus wasn't all that strict over breaks. The only thing was that there was no smoking, drinking or any disturbances of the peace allowed. But when school was back in session, they were very strict. It made the college all the harder to get into.

"So what about your friends?" he asked.

Oh dear god, don't get her started.

"Well, I have four best friends. Ino, Tenten, Yayuki and Hinata. Ino's the crazy one. In fact," she laughed at the memory of the past morning. "She offered to be our date bodyguard." She said.

"Date bodyguard?" he asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, apparently it's a person who follows the couple on a date and makes sure that nothing goes wrong. It was hard to convince her not to do that." She said.

"Seriously, she's insane."

"I know. And then there's Tenten, she's the tough one. During high school she couldn't stand wearing skirts. But now, I think that's pretty much the only type of clothing that she has in her closet to cover her lower half." She said.

They reached the move theatre just as she decided to take a break from speaking. He held the door open for her and she sweetly thanked him. The movie theatre was just like you'd expect it to be. It was red with blue and gold. The smell of popcorn tainted the air and people were happily chatting about the movies that they were gonna see.

They got in the third line. It was the shortest with just two people ahead of them.

"I'm surprised that there aren't more people here." She commented.

"Well it's summer, this place won't be crowded until it hits winter. You know, when it'll be too cold to do a lot of things." Atsushi said.

It got to be there turn and the man there looked at them.

"Hey Atsushi." The guy said.

"Hey Keiji, how you been man?" Atsushi said.

Immediately Sakura recognized the male as one of Atsushi's friends. She often saw him talking the loudest of the people in the group. And the one who tried to do the stunts that seemed incredibly dangerous. He had dark black hair with purple streaks in it. His bangs reached a few centimeters above his eyes. And his eyes were green, a dark green unlike her light ones.

"Great, great, I see that you're on your date tonight. Hey." Keiji said addressing her.

"Hi, I'm Sakura." She said.

"Keiji, What movie you guys wanna see?" he asked.

"Two tickets for 'Rango' man." Atsushi said.

She watched as Keiji got the tickets for them. The tickets then shot up a slot on the side of his hand and her pulled them and gave it to them.

"That'll be $16 dude." Keiji said.

Atsushi handed the male the money and they went off. He handed her, her ticket and she held it in her hand. She looked towards the Food Court where they sold all types of delectable movie snacks.

"What would you like to eat?" he asked.

"I'm thinking about getting myself some standard move popcorn and soda. I'm not really up to eating all that much." she said.

"That's cool, but are you sure that you won't want anything else? Maybe a candy bar or something for when you get puckish during the movie." He asked.

She thought about it for a moment as they stood in line. They had a good ten minutes before the actual movie would start. Meaning that they had a decent amount of time. She looked at the glass case that held all the movie candy for everyone to see. There were gummy worms, sweet and sour, chocolate bars, Milk Duds, and more. She wasn't sure whether she should get a candy or not. She didn't want to seem like a total pig on their first date.

"Mmm, I'm not so sure." She finally said.

"Then we'll get something simple. Two bags of Skittles, one for you and one for me." he said.

"Sounds good, thanks." She said.

It was finally their turn and they ordered their movie snacks. She saw that Atsushi didn't really order all that much. Just a blueberry slushy and the Skittles that he promised. She felt slightly guilty -thinking that the reason why he didn't get anything else for himself was because he had spent most of the money that he probably brought on her.

"You sure you only want that Atsushi? If you want, I'd be happy to buy something for you." She offered.

He looked at her after slurping a good amount of his slushy. "No it's okay Sakura. Besides, this is our date and I never let the girl pay. It's the way I was taught." He said.

She smiled as they got in the already dark room. They found good seats in the second back row of the room. She watched as an advertisement for a new movie came up about all the brand new movies coming up. She saw a few that she might wanna see and then the movie started.

* * *

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* * *

Two hours later

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"That movie was so hilarious." She said as they walked out of the theatre.

"Yeah, I have to admit, I wasn't too high on seeing it but after like the first couple minutes, I hated the fact that it was ending." He said.

She laughed and looked up at the sky. The bright stars shined as if they were tiny fragments of diamonds that floated up to the heavens.

"Sakura," she looked at Atsushi who slightly blushed when she smiled at him. He began to play with the strands of hair from his bangs and removed them from his eye-sight. "I was wondering… would you… would you like to do this again sometime? Like go on another date?" he asked.

She felt her heart begin to pound. He just asked her out… again. And this time he did it face-to-face. What does she do? What does she say? Why is she freaking out about it? This is Atsushi after all. He's nice skater boy who likes her. He could be her open window to getting out of all of those Sasuke memories locked in the dark cresses of her mind.

"I'd like that very much." she said.

"That's awesome." He responded.

Yep, he was definitely an open window. Her sunshine that would clear away all of those Sasuke rain clouds that still were in her heart. Because at the moment, his smile, made her forget where she was.

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End! I hope that you guys really enjoyed this chapter. I bet you did considering how many reviews I got to post this baby up. I'm really sorry that it took a long time but… I was busy. Like I mentioned before, my new project is taking up a good amount of my time. I'm already working on the third chapter for it. Anyways, I want to know what you guys think about all the new characters and love interest that I added. And yes I know that I didn't add the part where Sasuke confronted Sakura but that part will come soon. I promise. Anyways, until next chapter in my next story.

Xoxoxo Chibi Star Vamp


	4. End of the Summer Picnic

Okay wow, it's really amazing how the popularity of a story can change if the author creates a new one that's much more appealing to the public. I'm saying this because ever since my story 'Bracelets' came out, this has actually lowered itself to the bottom of my views list. And 'Bracelets' has over 1,000 this month. And I reached these thousand views in two weeks. So yeah, it just shows that not only am I getting better, but I also have to step up my game to make my stories more popular, all of them. Of course, 'Hokage High' is still number two. Amazing how event enough I'm done with it, I still get a lot of views and hits for it. So, in order to boost the rating for this one, I am making what I think is the longest chapter in the history of chapters that I've written. Because research shows that the longer the chapters of a story, the more reviews it gets because there's more to review about. Use this tip of mine for your own you authors. And also, after I add the new chapter of 'Bracelets' and finish off the last chapter of 'Seductress Assassins' I shall start making the very first chapter of my new story which I will be calling 'Animetra Princess'. It is the Yayuki and Hitomi story and believe me, if I ever made a show based on them and their friends that would totally be the plot. Now then, on with this one.

Disclaimer: I do not own the original characters of Naruto. All of the ones that I made up, the plot, and the previous story that this one is based on is mine.

Reviews

kumikoX3chan- while you may like the idea of the couples being separated, as you can tell by the main characters, eventually they will get back together. I only separated them so they can have some growth and really take in a new relationship into consideration before making the final decision. And I saw what you did, it was very clever.

LEGNA- while you may hate the guys for being with other girls, remember this, the girls are starting to go after other guys as well. And it's this type of thing that really brings up the tension that will make this story much more exciting to read. And as for the girls the guys are dating, don't worry, they don't interfere at all with the feelings that the guys have for our girls. So don't worry.

aswome dud- thank you for saying that. I know that you've probably been waiting for the new chapter of this to be posted has got to be on your mind at some point, so I hope that you enjoy this chapter. And once again, thanks.

sasusaku- thanks for the round of applause and sorry that I've taken nearly a month or more off just to update this. But I'm sure that the three chapters of my new story and the previously uploaded stories have kept your anxiety under control. Hope you like this one.

wow- thanks.

Dark Avenger Sasuke- I know, I was a little disappointed with the first story as well. Not because of the whole not-so-happy-ending thing, but mainly because I barely focused on the main couple. But now that characteristic is out of my system and I can not only focus on the main couple but also throw in the other couples as well. Hope that you enjoy this one much more because it does have a semi-happy-or-so ending. You'll see.

please- here you go and you're welcome.

sakura-cherrytree- glad that you like Atsushi. I kinda wanted to make him the complete opposite of Sasuke –well except for the good looks- so that Sakura can really start like questioning her relationship with him. And don't be mad at Sasuke, he still likes her, he's just too much of an arrogant jerk to admit it.

anonymous- you're not the only one who's wanted me to update for a while and here's your new chapter.

Hope that me taking time to respond to all the reviews didn't accept any of you. After all, it's just a way to show that I do read them and I do take them into consideration.

Here you go!

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Two weeks later

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His large hand held her smaller one. Her right hand was carrying a basket filled with goodies for the end-of-the-summer-picnic that the campus sets up every school year. Students were allowed to bring whatever they wanted, just not alcohol because you know, they're still technically under-age, well some of them anyway. It was held in the large field at the park and filled with so many different things to do. There were decorations and a big sign stating the end of summer. Of course, they wouldn't start class until three days from the picnic, but today was technically the end of summer.

And what an eventful summer it was.

She had gone to college, met up with her roommates –which included her best friend and her worst enemy- seen her old boyfriend- shirtless and wet at a pool- and found herself a new boyfriend who she was currently walking over to the picnic with at the moment. So yep, there were ups and downs to the summer –seeing Sasuke again was the main down- but then again…

"You look lovely in that dress." Atsushi said.

Atsushi was there to help her forget about Sasuke. To bring her out of that dark corner that she had practically lived in since the week after they broke up and he saw her talking to one of the prettiest fan girls ever.

"Thank you Atsushi, you're so sweet." She said softly with a light blush on her face.

She was wearing a petal pink summer dress. She didn't usually wear pink because of her hair color but she felt so comfortable about it now. Maybe it was because Atsushi said that pink was such a gorgeous color on her, or because she had grown out of the phase, but whatever it was –mainly Atsushi she thinks- she just doesn't care anymore about her dress. The dress had a red ribbon around it that was tied in the pack and was very thin. The ribbon was an inch under her breast providing some lift to them and the rest of the dress flowed naturally under it. The dress was plain, but beautiful. She also wore some red flats and her hair was split to the side, up in a high ponytail with the sides tugged behind her ear and held together with some hair pins –you could barely notice them. She wore nearly no make-up, going for the natural look on a day such as this.

They entered the large area and she could smell the food in the air. Around them were numerous couples, all of them already seated and enjoying the picnic. Behind the couples were groups of people playing outdoor-games such as Frisbee, baseball or football. She noticed that several people brought their pets along with and it made her yearn for her own little play pal as well. But with the first day of class coming up, she doesn't think that she'd be able to take care of it and do all her work at the same time.

"There're your friends." She looked over at where he was pointing and saw that her friends –and their guests- had set up their area under a grown tree with leaves as green as her eyes. The picnic blanket was large and the color yellow, matching the sun.

"Let's go." she said with a smile on her face as she tugged him along and practically sprinted towards the tree. From behind, she could hear Atsushi laugh lightly at her attitude, not chuckle, but actually laugh. She liked his laugh.

They reached the tree and she looked at her friends. She gave them a smile and they smiled back.

"Hey Sakura, about time you arrived." Ino said.

She rolled her eyes at Ino. A greeting and a complaint all in one, classic Ino. She found a bare spot on the blanket and she and Atsushi sat down there.

"Whatever Ino, you're just angry because I wash fashionably late unlike you who was just… well late." She said with a teasing smile on her face.

"Not true, I'm always fashionably late. You're the one who's late. Ten minutes late I might add."

"To be fashionably late, you must have used some extra time in order to make yourself look better than you originally do, which I don't see that much of a difference in you at all."

Ino began to playfully glare at her and she just laughed. She then began taking out the contents of the basket. Reaching into the hand-woven, dark brown, basket, she pulled out a platter covered in tin foil which held cookies that she had made-with help from her lovely boyfriend of course. She was so glad that he could actually cook. It's like every girl's dream to be with a guy that can cook, that way they won't have to.

She placed them on the blanket and had to smack Yayuki's hand away before she could even touch them.

"Why?" Yayuki complained.

"Just wait a few. There's more you know, and if you get full on those cookies, you won't' be able to get full on this," she pulled out a container filled with moshi. They were filled with Haagen Dazs ice cream and she knew that all of her friends loved them –it was the only dish that she could make by herself.

"Yay!" she heard Tenten and Yayuki cheer.

'So childish…' she thought with an amused look on her face. 'But I love them.'

She looked over at Atsushi who was pulling the large bottle of Pepsi and Root Beer from the basket as she finished setting down the third and final thing that they brought… raw meat. To her delight, they were also going to have a barbeque. And it was put under their attention that they bring along some meat to barbeque.

And who was doing the barbequing you might ask…

"Hey, who wants to kiss the cook?"

She watched as Yayuki got up and planted a kiss on Miomi's cheek. He claimed to be an expert barbeque chef, and he even gave them a few samples a couple days ago. Ever since then, she had had such a craving for that meat that she had practically begged him to give her some ahead of time. He refused, and that's why she had been so eager for this day to come.

"How's that?" Yayuki asked.

"Left me wanting more." Miomi answered.

"Then I have three words for you… bar-be-que."

She was glad that Yayuki had said that. Miomi would practically do anything for her and everyone wanted to taste the barbeque already. So, she saw Atsushi grab the largest plate that was completely covered in tin foil –to keep the smell of raw meat from the other treats- and then went over to help Miomi start to barbeque. Atsushi was great with adding flavor. Those two were like a barbeque dream team.

"Oh man I can't wait to eat." Tenten said.

"Tenten, you could just start eating now." Hinata said.

"Yeah but I'm missing food. Before I eat, I like to have a variety of things on my plate and –quit it Yuksi!" Tenten exclaimed.

She had just noticed the small pet at the picnic table. She looked nearly the same, not even the size had changed. But she seemed to have gotten a bushier tail and a sense of style because she wore a cute little light blue bow on her head that held some of her long fur together that created a small ponytail at the top of her head. She also wore a matching choker with her name written across it and a pendant that looked like a ten-pointed star under it that probably held some of the information.

"Ah leave her alone Tenten, she probably just wants some food and needs to get pass you to get it." She heard Yayuki say.

To her surprise, Yuksi went pass the food to go and great her. The pup rubbed her nose against her palm and then Sakura scratched the bottom of her head, around her neck.

"Hi girl, how you been?" she asked.

Yuksi woofed (I've decided to take away her ability to talk because, this isn't a ninja fic so now she's acting like a normal dog) and then licked the palm of her hand a little.

"Glad to see that."

She watched as the pup sniffed the air and tehn went away. She headed over to the grill where the meat was beginning to cook. She could practically feel her mouth water at the idea of getting to eat the meat again. The savory flavors of it rolling across her tongue and then down her throat in a delicious motion. She couldn't wait.

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From a distance, he could see their little group with his stone-cold eyes. He wasn't surprised at the fact that they were there. The entire college campus –even the ones that didn't live there- had come out today to enjoy the picnic. But what he hated about it was the fact that she dared to dress so amazingly just for that stupid and pathetic skater boy that she's been dating. It annoyed him to say the least, but he'd never admit it out-loud. And he could see that the guy kept complimenting her about it… how annoying.

"Hey teme, you gonna help us or not?" came Naruto's voice.

He looked behind him to see that his group was currently finishing the set up for their area. They had a couple of chairs to sit on and their own grill. They also had a table that was decorated with all sorts of delicious foods that none of them prepared but instead bought –they don't cook. They also had their trusty cooler that held their drinks –some of the soda bottles filled with alcohol- and a couple of plants, napkins, you know the necessities of a picnic.

"Do it yourself." He said.

"Oh come on Sasuke, just help us out." He heard Shikamaru say.

"Yeah Sasuke, help them out." Kameko said.

He still couldn't believe that Shikamaru actually ended up dating Kameko and even changing his hair for the chick. Of all the chicks in the world that he could've started to date, he had to pick her. Don't get him wrong, she was an attractive girl. But he couldn't but think that the only reason that he picked the chick was because she was the complete opposite of what his old girlfriend Ino was like. Instead of long bleach-blonde hair, Kameko had short normal blonde hair with the tips dyed blue. And instead of always acting hyper-active and constantly annoying him about fashion, Kameko acts normal and barely thinks about what he should wear. They were complete opposites.

"No." he finally answered.

He watched Kameko scoff and then go over to help Etsu –the girl Naruto had brought along- finish placing the few remaining things on the table. Again, he couldn't believe that another one of his friends was actually dating a chick. And one that he just met for that, and at the place where his old girlfriend works at for that matter. What was she pulling at?

"Doesn't matter, let him act like that, we're almost done anyway." Said Neji.

Lately, he's been feeling like Neji's been trying to steal his thunder. The Hyuuga constantly keeps trying to one-up him and not just in video games either. Lately the Hyuuga's even trying to take the girls that have always been interested in him. But that's never gonna happen, not as long as his name is Uchiha Sasuke and –what the hell is she doing?

He watched with angry eyes as Sakura actually wrapped her arms around the guy's waist and pressed her body against his from behind. Her chest was smashed against his back and she had her head under his arm. She used to do that to him.

He narrowed his eyes at the happy couple. They seemed to be enjoying their time together, and that pissed him completely off. It pissed him off even more when she raised her head and kissed his cheek. Yep, he definitely wanted to kill that skater boy for enjoying every one of Sakura's touches.

He heard leaves shuffle and saw Hitomi come down from the tree next to him. Lately it's been like Hitomi's his number one alibi. They both can't stand Neji and they both want to get back at the girls. And with Naruto spending nearly all his free time with his damn girlfriend, he's been spending more time with Hitomi and he's learned some very interesting things about the male.

"You've even watching them too huh." Hitomi said.

"Yeah," he watched as Sakura then went over to Yayuki and they both started talking. From behind the black-haired girl, her 'boyfriend' –and he knew Hitomi hates calling him that- encircled his arms around her waist and spun her around with Sakura laughing. "And it's annoying me to see them all happy and shit."

"Me too."

They watched in silence for a few moments before they heard Kameko call them over. They headed over to the table and took a seat there. The table held sandwiches, chicken, steak, and other things that he really didn't care about. It also held condiments.

He grabbed an ice cold pop from the cooler and then opened it as he sat down. He took a sip of it as the compressed air was releasing itself from in there. He felt the spray against his nose as he chugged down at least half of the contents in the small tin can. He then set it down on the table and grabbed a paper plate and got himself some chicken and some potato chips.

"So, who's gonna cook the rest of the meat?" Naruto asked as he added some mustard to his sandwich.

"You should do it Naruto; after all, you're pretty good at grilling." Etsu said.

"You really think I should?"

"Well of course, you're one of the best I've ever seen. And besides, didn't you tell me that you and your dad used to cook barbeque for your mom nearly all the time?"

He was telling her about his past already. He really couldn't believe that Naruto was acting like a damn open book and letting that chick read him all she wants, whenever she wants. That was just sick. It's also a warning sign. Because honestly, if Naruto falls in love with that chick, he's gonna kill him. Because actually falling in love isn't part of the plan.

"Hmm, maybe I will do it."

"I'll help you." Kameko said.

"You know how to grill?" Shikamaru asked.

"Of course, my family just loves western food from America, I'm actually part American on my dad's side, and we used to grill nearly all the time." she said.

He had to admit, that was actually pretty convenient. And it almost makes her feel like she was actually a part of their group. But he refuses to let any other girl be in their group. Not unless, they were their girls, as in, the old ones.

"That's cool." Naruto said.

"Thanks." She responded with a bright smile. He couldn't help but think that it felt kinda dull. Well, compared to that girl Ino's smile. Or Sakura's because compared to Sakura's every other smile isn't even there. It's hidden in the dark whenever she smiles.

He began to munch on some of his chips and the others started a conversation. He caught small tid-bits of it but he really wasn't interested in any of it. He was more interested in ways to ruin the girls' little picnic. Of course he could show up join them, causing tension in the air and eventually leaving with Sakura in his arms. Or he could-

His thoughts were interrupted when a Frisbee hit him in the back of his head. He growled, put the drink down, and then stood up and grabbed the piece of flying plastic. His eyes then scanned for whoever threw the damned thing in his direction with their bad aim.

"Who the fuck-" he stopped mid-sentence at the person who was coming over the fence. The dude jumped over the stone wall and then stood in front of him.

"Sorry man, I and my girl were kinda playing and well… she kinda over-threw it. So can I have it back?"

He inwardly growled. This was the dude that Sakura was dating. And what bothered him was that he dared to call Sakura 'his girl'. Sakura has, is and will always be his girl because she's still his. No matter what she or anyone else might think, he knows that he still has some control over her and her heart.

"You want it back?" he asked with some intimidation in his voice.

"Yeah, so can you give it?"

He looked from the bright yellow cover of the disk to the guy who had received a kiss from the girl who he still practically owns. And he came to a conclusion while staring at her from a distance, an impatient look on her face, there is no way he's giving this fucker the disk back.

He placed the disk in between both his hands and then began to add pressure. The plastic began to bend and white streaks began appearing on it. He looked at the male who now had a shocked look on his face as he kept bending the plastic. He felt some of his skin begin to feel pinched as the bending continued. Then he stopped when he felt his palms flat against the surface.

"Here you go." he said with an impassive face as he handed him the now completely bent plastic disk. It looked like a flat taco shell.

The guy got it and looked down at it, then he looked back up and with an angry glare, he walked away.

"Jackass." He heard him mutter.

He watched his retrieving back as he went back to the group. He knew that the guy would probably tell them all what he did, and he expects some of them to come over here and confront him about it. Chances are that some of the girls might even come here, now that'll really get the picnic started in the way that he wanted.

He took his seat back in the white chair and then looked at the faces of the people in his group.

"What?" he sneered.

"Don't you think that was a bit un-called for? All you had to do was give the guy his Frisbee back." Etsu said.

"Who asked your opinion?"

The girl stayed quiet and just fixed her glasses and continued eating. Honestly, she got on his nerves so much. She was all, sugar-y sweet and cared about everything. But he couldn't complain that much because Hinata was exactly like that, although, Hinata had a bit of a tough side to her making her tolerable to him. Etsu on the other hand, didn't.

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"What happened to the Frisbee?" Sakura asked as she jogged up to Atsushi who held their bent Frisbee.

"This guy bent it just because it hit him in the back of his head. I don't know why he did it though. I apologized for throwing it but… ugh he's such a jerk." Atsushi said.

In the time that she had met him, she hasn't seen Atsushi act angry at all. He seems like such a nice guy, one incapable of hating anyone. But then again he was human. And all humans are able to hate.

"Guy, what guy?" she asked.

"Well, he had black hair, black eyes, was wearing a dark blue shirt and jeans and… his hair was kinda feathered from behind." Atsushi said as he stood in front of her giving a description of who bent their toy.

"Feathered in the back? Hold on," she thinks she has a pretty good clue who it was –and she hoped that she was wrong- but she just had to make sure before she goes jumping to conclusions. "Did he have a really deep voice, an emotionless face and kinda of a nasty attitude?"

"Of course, why, do you know him?"

She tightened her fingers into fists and closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. Then she opened her eyes and crossed her arms. She looked at Atsushi who had a confused look on his face.

"Oh yeah, I know perfectly well who he is." She said with slightly gritted teeth. "And he's gonna pay for a brand new one. Take me to where he's at Atsushi." She said.

Atsushi gave her a worried look but nodded his head anyway. He turned around to lead her when they were stopped by Miomi.

"Atsushi man we're you going? You have to help me prepare the meat." Miomi said.

"Oh man, I completely forgot." Atsushi said.

"Atsushi, it's alright. Just tell me where're they're at and I'll speak to them about what they did. You can go off and help Miomi with the rest of the picnic." She said.

"Alright, they're right behind the stone wall near the big oak tree and Sakura, be careful."

"I will, don't worry and thanks."

He gave her a kiss on the cheek before going off to help Miomi. On the way, she saw that he threw away the now useless Frisbee. She then took in a breath, let it out, and began to walk over to where Sasuke was. She honestly couldn't believe that she was about to see her ex-boyfriend face-to-face after like three weeks since the day at the pool. But she knew that she wouldn't be able to avoid him always. Eventually she would have to speak with the guy and it looks like that time is now.

She took the first few steps that she would use to get there. She felt slightly nervousness begin to form in her stomach but she decided to not pay it much attention. It would eventually go away. Her steps became stronger as she got closer and closer to the wall.

She wasn't gonna jump it because well… she wasn't really wearing much under the dress. And the dress did reach her knees, and it flowed really easily so… yeah, she didn't feel like flashing her ex and any possible bystanders. Instead she walked over to the side where there was a stair case that led up to that area where they were. She was bracing herself for what was to come. She had no idea what would happen. For all she knew, eh could be with another girl and in the middle of kissing her or…

"You!" she nearly shouted as she finally spotted his face. She went over to their group and noticed that not only were the others there, but also two girls. And one of them looked like –no way! Was that Kameko? What was she doing with them? "You've got some nerve Uchiha."

"Whatever do you mean Sakura?" he asked.

His voice was as deep and alluring as always, maybe even more. But she wouldn't dare let that affect the amount of anger that she had built up at the moment. Not even the fact that he looked as irresistible as always.

"I mean, bending my boyfriend's Frisbee after he apologized for it hitting your head. Why do you have to be such a jerk Sasuke?" she had to admit that it felt weird saying the words 'boyfriend' and 'Sasuke' together in the same sentence and still referring to another guy.

"Because I felt like it Sakura." He said.

This, this was why she was glad that they weren't dating anymore. He could be so irritable some times. Saying that he did things just because he wanted to and never really giving a shit about the effects that it could have on other people. Take this situation for example. Because of him bending the Frisbee, Atsushi came back and told her about it, causing her to get angry and come to confront him about it even though she clearly never wanted to see his face again.

"Well you still had no right to do what you did. And you owe him a new Frisbee." She said with slight intimidation in her voice.

"And what will you do if I don't get him a new plastic piece of crap?" he asked with slight irritation in his voice.

"I'll make your life a living hell Uchiha Sasuke. Yours and your dumb friends'. Now then if you excuse me, I have to go back to my boyfriend, my friends and their boyfriends." She added the last part just to show that they've all moved on.

She turned to walk away. She placed her hands on her hips and head held high, she began to walk away from them. She still didn't understand why Kameko was with them. She was like the leader of the fan girl club for Shikamaru, and judging by how she had been clutching Shikamaru's arm and he had whispered something into her ear, causing her to giggle, she could safely assume that she was his new girlfriend.

What the hell?

Man, wait until Ino learns that her worst enemy is now her ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend. It must really suck and poor Hinata too. She had seen how that girl kept talking to Naruto. She also heard from Hinata that Etsu –she guesses that that was the girl who was with Naruto- kept talking about her new boyfriend how he was a bit of a goof-ball but still adorable in his own way. There was no doubt that that guy was Naruto.

"Hold on, Sakura!" she heard.

She knew she shouldn't have, but she still turned around to see what they wanted. To her surprise, instead of Sasuke –she was slightly happy about this- it was Naruto. He walked up to her and she saw that he had his hands held up to his chest in a defensive motion.

"I come in peace," he said. She rolled her eyes, what a dweeb. "But can you do me a favor?" he asked.

"What sort of favor?" she had to admit that she was curious at what he wanted. "And make it quick Naruto; I don't think that the girls would appreciate you stalling my return when you could be back over there kissing your new girlfriend." She said with attitude.

"Oh, you can tell huh?"

"Well it's kinda hard not to when she keeps bragging about you to Hinata at work and then seeing you with her at the moment."

"Oh… she talks about me?" he asked with a hint of happiness.

She narrowed her eyes slightly at him after he said that. She wanted to go back to her friends, no longer feeling like being in the same area as the group of guys who she and her friends left months ago.

"Okay, I get it, but, do me a favor and ask Hinata if she liked the kitten that I got for her."

Her eyes went slightly wide at what he had said.

"Hold on, you got her that kitten?" she asked softly and with disbelief.

"Well yeah, I remembered how much she liked kittens and I figured that I should get her one well because… I want to make amends with her and… I kinda wanna be her friend. Just her friend, not her boyfriend… I don't think she'd like that." He said.

She would've had her mouth hanging open at the moment if it weren't for the fact that she didn't want to show that she was actually shocked at him. It was so… sweet and kind. He had gotten her a kitten as a present, a plead to become friends and… wow.

"Sure… I'll ask her that Naruto." She said.

"Thanks Sakura, you're the best."

It was so weird how he was acting. He has a girlfriend and yet, he still wants to be considered Hinata's friend. What kind of ex-boyfriend still wants anything to do with the girl who brutally dumped him in front of everyone during lunch in high school? Well it wasn't that bad and it was under false circumstances but still.

"Um… thanks." With that said, he went back to his friends and she was left standing with a confused look on her face.

Naruto was so different from other guys. He was kinda and sweet and did things because he wanted to but for a good cause. Unlike Sasuke who did it just to stir up trouble.

She sighed; maybe not all of them were bad after all.

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He watched with hard eyes as her form began to disappear. He scanned the curves of her body as she walked down the stairs and then headed back to where her friends were. A slightly annoyed look on her face. Her ponytail bounced with each step as well as her chest. She looked so beautiful, so innocent, so amazing. He wanted to bring her close, and to hold her, to kiss her neck and inhale her scent. He had caught a whiff of it thanks to the wind blowing and she smelt as amazing as always.

He wouldn't deny that the animal inside of him wanted to just tear that dress off and run his hands down her smooth legs and just ravage her until she screams his name and passes out from ecstasy. To see her naked chest heave up and down with every breath she took and then opened her eyes to look up at him and then give a gentle smile, showing no trace of the event that they could've just done.

'Sasuke-kun…' her soft voice would say.

"Sasuke-kun!"

"Sasuke-kun!"

"SASUKE-KUN!"

He snapped his eyes open from imagining what he and Sakura could've done. He looked around at who was yelling his name. For a moment, he considered it to be Sakura. But after looking to where she was at and seeing that she was busy with having a conversation with Tenten and Hinata, he ruled that out. That could only leave one person -because he sure as hell knew that his mom wasn't there.

"Karin," he muttered with slight despair under his breath.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm so glad that I found you. I've been looking nearly everywhere for you and-"

The red head kept rambling on about her stupid 'journey' in finding him. From behind her, he could see the annoyed look of her sister. He had to stop himself from looking shocked at what the other twin sister was wearing. Time was good for her. And as much as he hated to admit it, she looked amazing. It almost made him forget about Sakura. Almost, because Sakura was still his number one thought.

"Karin, give your mouth a break and breathe. You're starting to annoy me." Minamo stood beside her sister in a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. She wore heavy black eye-liner and some of her hair covered her left eye. "How's it going Kameko, others?" she asked.

"It's going great Minamo, as you can see, I'm dating Shikamaru now and might I say, you look fabulous." Kameko complimented her best friend.

"Thanks, I spent most of my summer working out and creating a new image. Karin on the other hand," she paused to take a look at her twin who was currently ogling him like he was a piece of meat. Or more like the piece of meat that was in his pants. "Enough said."

Minamo and Kameko let out a couple of small laughs and then she turned her red-eyed gaze to him.

"Uchiha," she said with a certain tone to her voice that slightly annoyed him. "I saw Sakura walk away from here. Knowing her, something must've happened to make her get here. My thoughts are that it was something that you did. So, what happened?"

"None of your business."

She smirked, first time that he's ever seen her smirk like that. "Fine, be that way, but whatever happened caused her to get into one hell-of-a-lip-lock with her boy toy. The kiss lasted for at least 10 seconds, must hurt to know that she's moved on." He didn't like what she was saying. She either shuts up at the moment or changes the subjects. "As for you Hitomi," he noticed how something in her eyes flickered when she began talking to the man across from her. And she used a semi-softer tone to her voice when addressing him. "I hope you know that my brother currently has a hold on Yayuki. As a matter of fact, I looked into their relationship a bit and turns out that they're really in love. MY brother even plans to propose to her on-"

Hitomi abruptly got up and left the table. With nothing said, he walked away, no hint of emotion on his face. He couldn't tell whether he was angry or just plan annoyed but whatever it was, he was certain that he wouldn't be able to talk to the guy for the next day or so.

"Hm, I guess he doesn't want to know. Anyways, it was good seeing you guys, now if you excuse me; I'm gonna go pay a visit to my brother and future sister-in-law. It was good seeing you Kameko, I'll call you later." Minamo said as she gave a small smile and then walked away.

"Okay then Minamo." Kameko called out to her friend.

He watched as the girl went down the same steps as Sakura and for a moment he felt like he was hallucinating. He actually envisioned Minamo as Sakura instead. He blinked and it was back to being her. He really needed to get Sakura off his mind. He only wanted to make her feel pain, not begin to fall for her again. Ugh, she was so annoying even when she wasn't with him.

"Man, Hitomi looked piss." Naruto commented.

"He'll get over it." Shikamaru said as he blew some of his hair out of his face. It still amazed him how Shikamaru actually changed his hair for Kameko. He wonders what she had to do to get him to do that, or… maybe not.

"I don't think so." Etsu said.

"What makes you think that?" Kameko asked.

"Because he doesn't seem like tae type of guy that can just let things go. For all we know, he could be over there at the moment and knocking the guy out." Etsu responded.

"Well you haven't known him for as long as us, and trust us, he'll eventually let it go or find a way to stop it. That is, if it's true." Neji said.

He never really thought of that possibility. How did they know that Minamo wasn't just lying so that she could get her shot with Hitomi? Sure it seemed like she had changed but he doubts that a person can change that much in less than three months. And the way she spoke to him, even though her acting was remarkable, she seemed to be rubbing it in his face and urging him to just give-up on Yayuki.

"He'll be fine. Let it go." he said.

The entire table looked at him and he just glared at them all. His gaze landed on Naruto and Kameko who sat side-by-side.

"Go start the grill."

Both blondes shared a look but then got up and started to prepare everything for the barbeque. He wanted to get rid of all thoughts of how beautiful Sakura looked and how… innocent she still maintained to be even after he had clearly taken that months ago. It was one of his fondest memories with her.

* * *

"I can't believe Naruto was the one who got me the kitten." Hinata said as she took a seat on the picnic sheet and grabbed a slice of pizza.

"I know, it surprised me as well. I mean, Ino had practically spent the entire day trying to narrow down candidates of who could've possibly sent you that little kitty and to think that he was directly under our noses all the time." Sakura said.

After arriving back to the group, she told Atsushi that she wasn't sure whether he actually would or not but that she took care of that problem. Then she headed over to find Hinata and explained to her what Naruto had told her and confirm the suspicion that Etsu was his new girlfriend.

"But why would he? I'm not his girlfriend, Etsu is. Why didn't he get the kitten for her instead?"

"Well think about it Hinata, on the day you saw him, he had already picked out a kitten and was getting it adopted. He hadn't met Etsu yet. So maybe, he planned to do it all along."

"I suppose but… it just doesn't make sense to me."

"Well, after he told me that you got the kitten, he said to tell you that he wanted to be your-"

"No, no way am I letting him be my boyfriend again." Hinata caught Sakura off and looked at her friend while she munched on a cookie.

Sakura ate some chips and then swallowed and drank a little soda in a plastic cup with some ice and a straw. "Not girlfriend," she said after setting the drink down. "But just a friend. A regular, normal, non-awkward friend."

"A friend?" Hinata asked.

"Who wants to be Hinata's friend?" Tenten asked as she took a seat where the other two girls were at with a plate that held a hot dog, some chips, and a cupcake.

"Naruto." Hinata said.

"Naruto? Why would he want to be your friend? I thought for sure that if he ever wanted you to be something to him it would've surely been his girlfriend." She said as she took a sip of her Red Hawaiian Punch that she had set down next to her.

"We know, but it's true and get this, he was the one who got her the kitten." Sakura said as she munched on two or three chips at once.

"No way, out of everyone who could've gotten her that kitten, Naruto was definitely the last person I would've thought of." Tenten said as she took a bite of her hot dog dressed with nothing.

"Right." Sakura said.

Hinata stayed quiet as both girls began to discuss all possibilities as to why Naruto would even consider getting her a pet when they were clearly over. But maybe she should consider the opportunity of him being her friend again. But then friendship might lead to him being her boyfriend and… she just doesn't want to go through what she went through in high school once again. And while they were in college now, that doesn't mean that the fan girls are any different, maybe a bit more vicious, but definitely not nicer.

"Sakura," she said as she joined the conversation and looked at the girl across from her. "Where are they? I wanna go see Naruto myself."

She saw the slightly shocked looks on both Tenten and Sakura's faces. They probably thought that she wouldn't even see Naruto at all. But she wanted to face the problem to the source. And if that meant looking at Naruto have a good time with Etsu then so be it.

"Behind the stone wall." Sakura responded.

"Thanks, I'll be back." She began to get up from her seated position and placed her food where she sat. "I'm going over there, Yayuki," she turned her head to look at her friend who looked up at her from feeding Yuksi a treat. "Can you come with me?"

"Sure Hinata but… where?" Yayuki went over to her with Yuksi in her arms.

"To see somebody." She responded.

"Who?" Yayuki asked.

"You'll see, now can you please come with me?" she asked her once again.

"Of course Hinata, anything for a friend."

She smiled and they both headed off. Yayuki told Miomi that she would be back and to just continue. The barbeque was almost done and she couldn't wait to taste it.

"So Hinata, why the sudden urge to see an old friend?" Yayuki asked.

"He got me the kitten. And he wants to be my friend." She answered.

"He got you the kitten? No way, I can't wait to see what kind of cutie could've gotten you that little sweetheart kitty. Which reminds me, where is he?" Yayuki asked referring to the grey and white kitten that was three weeks old now.

"I have him with me." Hinata said.

"You do, where?" Yayuki asked.

On that day, Hinata wore some capris shorts that reached her knees and a stem-green shirt with a sun on it wearing glasses that said 'I Love Summer' under it. She had a headband in her hair that pulled it back, all of it, including her bangs, and gave a perfect view of her face. She also wore green flower earrings and a light blue purse that matched the jeans across her shoulder. It was more of a messenger bag really. Plus she wore some sandals.

Yayuki watched as Hinata opened the flap in the bag to pull out the sleeping kitty. Whoa, she had never thought of that one before. Maybe she should do that? That way she can take Yuksi anywhere.

"Here he is." She said.

"Hinata, that's so brilliant but… aren't you afraid that the poor guy might suffocate or something? Or maybe even get hungry or thirsty?" Yayuki asked.

"He won't, I constantly check on him every hour. As a matter of fact," she reached back into the purse to pull out a small treat. "He's a little hungry." She held the food up to the kitten who smelt it and began to eat it. Once the food was gone, she reached back into to pull out a special water bottle for it and held it to its mouth where it began to drink. Once it was gone, she placed the water bottle on the side pouch on the bag, and closed the flap to the food on the outside of the bag.

"How cool, you're so smart Hinata. I would've never thought of that one." Yayuki complimented. "But I have to ask, where does he sleep?"

"Come closer." Hinata said.

Yayuki did as such and when she looked into the main area of the purse, she couldn't believe her eyes. Hinata had set up like a little kitty pet bed in her bag. It had a pillow there that served as a bed and she was happy to see that Hinata even placed a little toy for the kitten to play with if he ever woke up ahead of time.

"Nice." Yayuki complimented.

"Thank you." Hinata said.

She kept the flap open but placed the kitten in there anyway. The little guy instantly got comfortable and curled up into a cute little ball and began to play with the ball that was there using his little paw.

"He needs a bit of fresh air and son." Hinata said.

"Wow, you thought of everything. Do you have a comb and other grooming things for the guy?"

"Yeah, in the second outer pouch, I have a few little accessories along with a comb for him."

"Awesome."

They stopped talking just as they reached the last step to the area where Naruto and his friends were seated. She could see Etsu lean in and plant a kiss on Naruto's cheek and it slightly hurt her that Etsu would do that. But then again, she couldn't blame the girl for being attracted to him. Naruto was very handsome, that fact she would never deny.

"No way, Sasuke, Neji, Shikamaru and Naruto, Hinata, why are we here?" Yayuki asked in a whispered tone. She was secretly glad that Hitomi wasn't there.

"I told you, to see an old friend and the person who got me the kitten." Hinata said calmly and quietly as well.

"I know but why are we –wait a second," Yayuki said stopping mid-sentence. "Do not tell me… Naruto got you the kitten didn't he?" Yayuki asked with a slightly angry tone to her voice.

"Correct." She responded.

"I can't believe it. Why, why did he get you the kitten?" she asked with the same tone as before, except a little annoyed.

"He said he wants to be friends." She said.

"Oh man, you're not…" Yayuki stopped, already knowing that Hinata knew what she meant.

She stayed quiet as she looked at him and their little group. They all seemed pretty happy, and… why was Kameko there? At first she thought that her eyes were playing her but after she turned her face to the side and examining it, she knew perfectly well that that was Kameko. No way, why was she with them? But since Shikamaru turned to her and whispered something in her ear, causing her to giggle, she could say that Kameko was Shikamaru's new girlfriend. Oh man, what might Ino say?

"Come on." She said.

She took the first step and then began walking over to them. Yayuki was right behind her but she could see that the girl seemed a little tense.

"Naruto." She said as she reached their table.

She looked at their faces and then when Naruto turned around to look at her, she saw the shocked look on his face. He was still as handsome as always. Although, his hair color seemed brighter than before. And the smile that he gave her after he saw that it was her caused her heart to thump.

"Hinata!" he exclaimed as he got up to look at her, he was so much taller than she was. "What are you doing here?" he seemed excited about the fact that she was there.

"I came to talk to you about something. Can we go somewhere private maybe? If you don't mind of course." she asked politely.

"Yeah, yeah, of course, we'll be right back guys." Naruto said as he took her hand and began to lead her away. She felt a slight tingle as he held her small hand in his. It brought back fond memories but she wasn't about to let those memories ruin what she was about to say.

Yayuki watched as Naruto took Hinata away, leaving her in the awkward situation of being with a group of people that she'd much rather be very far away from. She still couldn't believe that it was Naruto.

"So," she said trying to break the awkward silence. "I guess that I'll just go then." she said.

She turned around to walk away. On her way down back to the field, she bumped into someone. She stumbled slightly back but then looked up at who she bumped into. She immediately set a glare on her face as she looked at Hitomi. That jerk, didn't he see that she was there?

"Excuse me." she said.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I came with Hinata, Naruto took her away, and now I'm leaving. So, can you please move out of the way?" she asked with a bit of an annoyed tone to her voice.

"…" he stayed quiet and that really annoyed her. So instead, she just scoffed and turned to go around him. But she couldn't move because he grabbed her arm and began leading her somewhere.

"Hey, where the hell are you taking me?" she asked as she kept Yuksi up with her right arm while Hitomi tugged her along.

She had to admit, his touch made her skin tingle. She could practically feel the goose bumps on her own skin. She wouldn't deny that she hadn't dreamt of him touching her again. Holding her in his embrace and feeling his body heat against her own. But those dreams soon began to fade when she began hanging out with Miomi. Then her dreams were of all the times that they had spent together.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked with a hard voice.

He still didn't respond and it was beginning to get on her nerves. He had no right to just take her away like that. Her friends would eventually wonder where she was and come looking for her. And she didn't want them to find her with her ex-boyfriend. It would rise suspicious and she wasn't feeling up to that at the moment.

They stopped but she unconsciously kept running and bumped into his chest. He placed both his arms on her and she looked down to make sure that Yuksi wasn't suffocating or something.

"Why are you dating Miomi?" he asked.

"Because I can." She responded not missing a beat.

He added some pressure into her arm and she didn't wince. She would go out hard. Meaning that there was no way that she would get intimidated or side-tracked by his voice, looks, scent, body or… anything!

"But why him? I already told you, he only wants you for sex Yayuki. Once he gets that, he's gonna leave you out in the streets." He said.

"Miomi isn't like that. He actually likes me and cares about me. He apologized to me for what he did and he gave me back my life. Besides, how would you know what he wants? You're not him, and I'm pretty sure that you can't read his thoughts." She said.

He looked down at her with hard eyes, but looking deep into the crystal-clear pupils, she could see a hint of worry in them. Was he actually worried about her? She couldn't help but think that he might. But then again, why would he care what happens to her? She's not his girlfriend, hell she's not even his friend or acquaintance. He has no reason to worry about her.

"Yayuki," he said.

She shivered at the way he said her name. It was so soft, kinda husky but at the same time, it held power and a little worry. Maybe even a warning. But she wasn't sure about that. Because his warnings came out a sort of growl.

"Stay away from him." he said.

"You can't tell me what t-"

She was brought closer against his chest and she dropped Yuksi. She looked down to see that she had landed on her feet and sat watching the scene. He had pressed her against his chest and his head was at the top her hers. She could smell the delicious scent of his cologne and with him being so close, she felt her mind and body giving out mixed messages. Her body wanted him, to be closer, to be on top of her, to be with her. But he mind told her that he has to get away. To be far away from her before someone sees them together.

"Just stay away from him Yayuki." He said softly.

"No… no… he… he loves me." she said desperately.

"But you don't love him." Hitomi said.

She stayed quiet. She didn't know whether she should say that she does love him or just say nothing. But truth-be-told, she doesn't love Miomi. She likes the guy, a lot but she can't say that she honestly loves him.

"Yes I do." she said. She wondered whether she was trying to fool Hitomi or convince herself.

"No you don't. You're not one to fall in love with a guy who once hurt you. And I guess that I was the loophole." He said.

"What," she pulled away from him and looked him straight in the face. "I never loved you."

"That's a lie and you know it." He said.

"No it's not. I may have liked you a lot but I never loved you Itorashi Hitomi. I could never love someone who made my life hell." She said with a strong voice.

She saw how his eyes narrowed and he took an intimidating step forward. He was now hovering above her once again and she had to tilt her head to look him in the face.

"If you never loved me," he said smoothly. She wondered what he was getting at. "Then why are you still wearing the necklace I gave you for Valentine's Day?"

Her eyes went slightly wide and her powerful stance –which included her hands on her hips and a glare on her face-, wore away as she looked down and clasped the necklace hanging from her neck. She had almost forgotten that she was wearing it. To be honest, she wore it all the time. It was one of the required pieces of jewelry that she never left her room or house or wherever she was without making sure that it was there.

"Because…" she was stuck, she had absolutely no clue what to say. She could lie and say that she didn't even know that it was there but… she wouldn't sound convincing. So instead, she clutched it harder and looked down.

He looked down at her, his eyes scanning her body over and over. She wore some shorts that day. They reached her thigh and showed off her smooth legs. She also had on a shirt that had almost no back –only half of it was covered- and there was a string tied around her neck that held the front up. It was orange, the color of his hair. From the straps of the undergarment that she was wearing, he could tell that she was wearing a yellow bra to balance the orange. She had her hair up in two ponytails from the back and her bangs completely covered her face. He could see her piercings and he had to admit, they looked good on her.

He placed his hands under her chin to make her look up at him. He saw that her eyes were a bit teary and it seemed like she was close to crying.

"What?" she asked annoyed.

"You still love me." he said.

She removed her head from his touch and looked away from him. She had released her hand from around her necklace and placed it on her side.

"No… I don't… I love Miomi… not you." She said softly.

"Look me in the face and say that. If you can, I'll acknowledge it and leave you alone." He said.

She looked up at him and he saw how she closed her eyes and turned away from him for a moment. Her face looked as flawless as always and he just wanted to kiss her. But he couldn't, and he wouldn't, you know, until later when she finally realizes what Miomi's actually up to.

"I don't love you." She said to him. She had turned her face to him and looked him straight in the eyes. Her voice was filled with confidence and her eyes were hard, the complete opposite of what they were moments ago.

"Fine, I don't love you either." He said.

She felt her heart momentarily stop. How could he just say that like it was no big deal? Of course he loved her, the necklace proves it but then again… it had been such a long time since they were together and for all she knew, he could've moved on as well a long time ago.

"Good luck with your marriage." He said. He turned away and walked off. She was left staring at his retrieving back with an ache in her heart that she didn't want.

She began to glare at it and then turned around. She felt Yuksi brush her fur against her legs. She looked down at the pet and picked her up and brought her to eye-level.

"You're so lucky you don't have to deal with this crap. I wish I were you. That way I wouldn't want to die right now." she said.

She brought the animal in closer and held her. It was like Yuksi was the only thing keeping her on the world at the moment. But she wouldn't die. So many people would be affected by it. Her family especially. And she wouldn't dare put them through that just because hitomi said that he didn't love her. Maybe she should get rid of the necklace. Because at the moment… it just served as a haunting memory.

* * *

.

.

.

* * *

"Alright, time for the relay race." Sakura said as she got up from the picnic blanket and looked at her friends, minus Yayuki.

Yayuki had abruptly left the group without anyone knowing. Of course she received a text from her saying that she didn't feel well at the moment and that she would see them tomorrow, but, she couldn't help but get the feeling that there was much more to it than that.

"Relay race, how come we weren't informed that you had set up games?" Tenten asked.

"Because it was a surprise, a surprise that me and Atsushi secretly planned in order to make this the funnest day ever," she said.

"There's no such word as 'funnest'." Tenten said.

"Oh who cares, you all know what I mean." She said.

She gave them a smile and then went over to where Atsushi was. He had gone to his dorm a couple minutes ago in order to get the supplies for the surprise race that they planned. She walked up to him and helped him carry one of the crates. There were two, one red, the other blue. She carried the red one over to the tree and placed it down.

"Um Sakura," Hinata approached her and she looked at the shy girl. She remembered that Hinata told her that she decided on not taking Naruto's offer to become friends. She said that it would lead to too many problems. "Might I ask, where exactly are we having this relay race?"

She got up and looked at the once-shy girl. Sure Hinata was still slightly shy but not as much as before. She brushed some of the dirt from her dress and tehn cleared her throat.

"Very simple, the race will be from this tree," she placed her hand on the tree, "To the pool area. First one to make it there and back will get a prize." She explained.

"What prize?" Hinata asked.

"That my friend is a secret. In order to find out, you have to win." She said.

Hinata went away and she looked at her group of friends. They had added two new ones, just like the guys, so they were equally matched. But guessing from the two coming towards them now, they might just get two or one more. Since one has changed and the other…

"Karin, Minamo, what's up?" she was the first to greet them. She and Karin had made amends and Minamo seemed to be much more tolerable now.

"Hi Sakura," Minamo said. Even she had to say, Minamo looked pretty good now a days. "What're you guys up to?"

"We're about to have a relay race. Wanna join?" she asked.

"No thanks, we just came here to talk to our brother. Where is he?" Karin asked. There was a hint of attitude to her voice but Sakura decided on letting it go.

She turned around to look for him and saw that he was still barbequing. That would probably be the last batch because she and the girls chowed down on that meat a long time ago. Hell, the chicken never stayed on the plate for more than a few seconds. She even had to dig her nails into Tenten's hand just to get the last piece of chicken. But it was so worth it.

"Over there near the grill." She said.

"What, he was barbequing, man; we should've gotten here sooner." Karin said.

"We were supposed to Karin but you just had to try out those new make-up samples. I told you that it could wait, that the booth wasn't going anywhere. But no, apparently it was just too important." Minamo said clearly annoyed with her twin.

"Ugh forget it; let's just go talk to him so we can go." Karin said.

Karin began to walk off to where her brother was but Minamo didn't follow. The red-head just stayed there and looked at her sister's retreating back.

"She can be so annoying some times," Minamo said. Then she turned her attention to her. "So how's it been Sakura?"

She was a bit taken back by the question but she answered it anyways. "I've been good. Atsushi has been my three-week boyfriend and we're still going strong. What about you, you have a boyfriend?" she had to admit that she was curious if Minamo had a boyfriend or not. With her new look, guys must certainly be looking her way.

"Not yet, but I'm thinking about getting one." Minamo said.

"You have anyone in mind?" she asked as if it just came out of the blue.

"Well of course but… the thing is that… well I'm kinda un-certain whether I should go for it or not. Us dating would cause a lot of drama and I'm not feeling up to drama at the moment." Minamo looked down and caught a glimpse of something on Sakura's hand. "Nice ring."

Sakura looked down at her right hand. On her middle finger was the ring that Sasuke had given to her. Sure it was meant as an engagement ring but she decided to just use it as a normal ring. She wouldn't throw it away, he probably spent too much to buy it for her, and just because she didn't end up marrying the guy doesn't mean that she wasn't allowed to keep the ring.

"Thanks, it was a gift." She responded.

"Some gift, if I ever got a ring like that, I'm pretty sure that it would be for a proposal." Minamo said.

She laughed, trying to hide the awkwardness in her voice. She didn't want Minamo to know that Sasuke had once proposed to her. It would lead to so much trouble and problems and the last thing she wanted was to have another high school experience while being in college. That would just be sad.

"Yeah well, this one was a graduation gift from my parents." She said lying through her teeth. "Besides, if I ever got proposed to, I wouldn't wear that ring on my middle finger, I'd wear it on the proper place." She said.

"Still, it's an awesome ring. Your parents must really love you." Minamo said.

"Yeah… they love me a lot." She said.

"Hey Sakura, oh, hi Minamo." The voice came from behind her and she turned her head to see Ino there.

"Hey Ino." She responded.

"Hi Ino, thanks again for the hair treatment, I loved it, and I referred a lot of people to you. So be ready." Minamo said.

"You did what? Oh my god, thank you, thank you, thank you. This is really gonna get my name out there. I wonder if I can use that to start y own business. Maybe I can even open up a chain of salons across the world. Wouldn't that be great?" Ino said hyper-actively.

"Yeah Ino, that would be great." She started. "But for that to happen, a couple of celebrities would have to have gotten their hair done by you, spreading the word as well and making you well known."

"Don't ruin my dream Sakura." Ino said.

"I'm not; I'm just telling you reality." She responded.

Ino scoffed and then began to walk away. She rolled her green eyes and then set them back on Minamo. Minamo was giving a soft smile and she smiled back.

"So…" she started shifting her weight from foot-to-foot. "You never told me what the name of the guy was." She said.

"Sakura I don't think-"

"Please Minamo, I won't tell a living soul. You're my friend now and I will always keep your secrets. Unless you want me to tell everyone then I'll just twitter it and everyone will know instantly." She said. She surprised herself by calling Minamo her friend. But in a way, she was right, Minamo was her friend. They've been talking a lot lately and complimenting one another, and even helping each other once in a while. So yeah, they were friends.

"Friends huh," Minamo said. She gave Sakura a gentle smile and then sighed. "I suppose that I can tell you but like you said, you promise not to tell a living soul." Minamo said.

"Of course not." She responded.

"All right, I kinda wanna try and make Hitomi my boyfriend. I mean, I still like him and… I don't hate Yayuki and won't try a thing against her, plus she seems pretty happy with my brother and I respect the fact that he's with her and that she used to date hitomi. But I want my chance with him… although… I'm too afraid to try and go after it. You understand right, what people might say." Minamo asked.

"Of course I understand Minamo and… you should totally do it but just in case, give me your cell phone." She said. Minamo gave her a confused look. "Trust me." she said. Minamo pulled out her cell phone and gave it to her. She then began doing something to it and handed it back. "I added Yayuki's cell phone number. You might want to call her and clear everything up so there won't be any drama." She explained.

"Okay, thanks… I'll uh… I'll just go call her now. Later." Minamo said as she walked away.

"Bye!" Sakura shouted back.

To her, the world seemed so perfect at the moment. She had no enemies, a perfect boyfriend, and her ex-boyfriend hasn't ruined the day at all. And best of all-

"Ahh!" she shouted.

Rain began pouring down on them and she quickly ran to the tree. She covered her head with her hands and looked around at her friends. They were all trying to get away from the rain just like her while at the same time, they were trying to grab as much of the stuff as they could.

Some perfect day.

* * *

.

.

.

* * *

She threw her drenched dress on top of the fan. The fan was set on high and she wanted to have that dress dry before the night falls. Although it was pretty hard to tell if it was dark or not considering how much darker the sky seemed with the rain clouds.

Dressed in a giant white shirt that reached her thighs with her hair down, wet, and loose, while wearing some underwear and a pair of slippers, she headed over to the large window in the room. It was still raining pretty hard. She hadn't expected for such a storm to happen out of the blue. It seemed fine the first three hours and then… bang! Rain out of nowhere, along with thunder and lightning.

The picnic as you might've guessed had been ruined. Everyone managed to get their stuff out of rain, although all the food was ruined and the decorations as well. But, since the rain came out of nowhere, the campus planned on another event that wouldn't happen until October. So yeah, they pretty much had to wait a good two or so months.

"This sucks." Ino said from behind her.

Ino wore grey shorts and a white shirt. Her hair was up in a bun, a very large bun, but it was messy and several strands were loose. She stood beside her and looked out the window as well.

"Not only is my day ruined but also the outfit that I wore today. And it was one of my cutest ones too." Ino complained.

"Relax Ino, there will be other perfect days, and then you can wear that exact same outfit." She said.

"Are you insane?" Ino nearly shouted at her. "I can't wear the same thing twice. Well I can if no one saw me in it but everyone saw me in that outfit. I'm not about to let them think that I have no other cute clothes than that, and that I repeat my outfits."

"Okay okay, no need to yell, I was just making a suggestion. Jeesh." She said.

Ino scoffed and then walked over to her bed. She watched as Ino sat down on the bed and began going through one of the numerous fashion magazines that she was sure was up there. She rolled her eyes and then stared back out the window. Her phone began to buzz and she saw that she had a new text message. She wonders who it was from.

* * *

To: Sakura

From: Atsushi

Subject: What's up?

Hey Sakura, how you doing?

* * *

She smiled at the text and then replied back.

* * *

To: Atsushi

From: Sakura

Subject: The roof ;-P

I'm good, a bit annoyed that it started to rain X-( but I'm doing well. What about you?

* * *

She sent it and then placed the phone back on top of the drawer. From the corner of her eye, she could see Karin on her laptop doing something. She was curious as to what but deciding to not get on the red-head's bad side, she decided against it. Her phone buzz and she couldn't help to just snatch it from the counter top and read it quickly.

* * *

To: Sakura

From: Atsushi

Subject: I meant with you, but nice one though

Yeah, rain ruins everything. Hey, I was thinking maybe you should come over to my dorm to hang out. Just because the picnic is off doesn't mean that I shouldn't be allowed to spend some alone time with you.

* * *

She held in her squeal, knowing that Ino and Karin would probably get curious and begin to bug her about it. And believe me; she didn't want her good feeling to disappear just because of her two annoying roommates.

* * *

To: Atsushi

From: Sakura

Subject: I learn from the best

I'd love to, what's your dorm number?

* * *

Not waiting for a response, she headed over to her side of the closet and began to pick out the perfect outfit. He had already seen her looking her best so she had to at least match it. Of course, anything on her looked good, and Atsushi wasn't so judgmental but she still wanted to look her best for him. She had to represent.

"Sakura," she heard. But she didn't bother to answer.

"Sakura," the voice came stronger but she still decided against responding to it.

"Sakura!"

"What!" she yelled slightly irritated. She snapped her head so quickly that she wondered how she didn't snap her neck. She laid her piercing green eyes on Ino who had an annoyed look on her face.

"What are you doing?" Ino asked with an innocent voice.

"Picking out clothes, why else would I be at my side of the closet searching through my clothes?" she asked with sarcasm lacing her voice.

"Why do you need clothes?" Ino asked.

"None of your business pig." She responded.

"Well at least let me help."

"No way."

"Oh come on!"

"Ino, I said no."

"Please."

"No."

"Please."

"No."

"Please."

"No."

"Please."

"Ino, no means no now let it go!" she shouted.

"Well why not?" Ino shouted back.

"Because I said so!"

"Ugh! So mean." Ino said.

After that, there was a silence in the room. Just then, it occurred to her that Atsushi hadn't texted her back about the dorm room number. So she stopped momentarily what she was doing so that she could text him a message.

* * *

To: Atsushi

From: Sakura

Subject: Hello?

Atsushi, you never texted me back your dorm room number. Does that mean that I shouldn't go or… what?

* * *

She sent the message and just hoped that he would reply back to it. But deciding that even if he didn't, she would find his dorm and go see what's up, she began to pick out her clothes. But instead of something totally fabulous, she decided upon something that was casual but still stylish.

Her phone buzzed just as she picked out a top and she looked at it. She read the message and found it confusing.

'What, he doesn't want me to come over? Why the sudden change in thought?' she thought.

Disappointed, but still curious, she got out a pair of shorts and some sandals and went in the bathroom to put the ensemble on. She locked the door and then placed the clothes on the sink counter top. She took off the long shirt and threw it on floor. Then she grabbed the yellow tank top and put it on. Her hair was now dry and she was glad too. She put on the shorts –that slightly matched Ino's- and then slipped on the flip flops.

She then leaned into the mirror to examine her face. She was glad that her pimple was gone. She had managed to hide it on her date by using a whole mess of cover-up that perfectly matched her skin color. She pushed the mirror open to reveal the cabinet there and she grabbed a tube of lipstick that was at the top.

She applied the lipstick on both lips and then smacked her lips together to make sure that all of it was covered then she put it back and grabbed a black scrunchie. She made her hair into a high ponytail –managing to make it look like she had actually spent time making it- and then she grabbed the discarded shirt and stepped out of the bathroom.

"I'll be back." She told the girls as she threw her shirt on the bed.

"Where you going?" Ino asked.

"To see a friend, I'll be back soon." She responded as she headed for the door.

"Hold on wha-"

Ino's question was stooped mid-sentence by the sound of the closing door. She was glad too; Ino was beginning to revert back to her old ways. And that wasn't good at all. She might have to do something about that before it goes too far.

She sighed as her hand released the doorknob and began heading in the direction of the middle building that connected the dorms. She made sure that her student pass was hanging from her neck so that she would be able to get through the door leading to the male dormitory. Females weren't exactly allowed there without their IDs. Otherwise, they would be sent to the Dean's office and given a warning. Three warnings and you're expelled from the college for good. Yeah, the college was fun but strict as well.

She got into the elevator and pressed the button leading to the lobby. From the lobby she would have to walk to the center door and then take another elevator up just so that she could enter the building connecting the dorms and finally she would have to pass through security check and figure out where Atsushi's room was. Yeah, it would be a long journey.

* * *

.

* * *

He looked into the mirror and combed his hair. He added some gel so that the back feathered up just like always. Pushing the comb through his hair, he made sure that it was perfectly feathered up and then he put the comb down and grabbed the can of hairspray right next to it. What, he needed to keep it up all the time, it was his signature style.

After checking to make sure that it was all up, he put the can back down and then began to put away all of his stuff. Sure he used gel and hairspray along with a few other products that he wasn't about to mention but who cares. He looks good.

After everything was done, he then checked himself once more in the mirror. Wearing a white t-shirt and some jeans, plus some Nikes, eh was ready to go out on campus. Who cares about the rain, he was gonna take his car and drive off to wherever there isn't rain. To wherever he could go to forget about her, to forget everything about her, including the things that he had done with her. Because this college was just full of her. He wasn't sure how, but sometimes he feels like every corner he turns, she's there.

He opened the door to the bathroom and was greeted with the face of a smirking Naruto.

"What?" he asked.

"Oh nothing Mrs. Uchiha, I was just wondering why you spent the last hour or so in the bathroom but apparently now I know. And to think I thought it was something else." Naruto said.

"You're sick man and never call me that again." He responded.

"Me sick? Please I'm probably the healthiest person here. And one more things Mrs. Uchiha," he added emphasis on the 'Mrs.' Just because he knew that it would annoy Sasuke. "Where are you off to?"

"None of your damn business." Sasuke said.

He pushed past Naruto and grabbed his phone and keys off the dresser. Then without another word, he got out of the room using the door. To his glee, Naruto hadn't even opened up his mouth once while he was making his exit.

He heard the click of the door and then began walking over to the elevators. On his walk down the hall towards the elevator, he spotted something very interesting. It was Sakura's guy –the douche who stole her away from him. And to his horror –and delight at the same time- the guy was talking to some chick. Could he be cheating on Sakura?

Wanting to know for sure, he headed closer to them and made sure that his presence wasn't sensed.

"And so, because of my new girl, we're through." He heard the guy say.

"What? Are you dumping me?" the girl asked with a lot of attitude.

"Yeah, I am." He answered.

"Well how come? What does your new girl have that I don't huh? Certainly she can't be as pretty as more or as sexy as me. Hell I bet she's not even as nice as I am." The girl said.

'Oh yeah you sound really nice.' He said in his head with sarcasm in his thoughts.

"She's everything and more." The guy said.

He was beginning to get sick. He couldn't believe how this douche was acting. Surely he must know that he was listening otherwise he wouldn't be saying these things. But it didn't seem that way so is it possible that this guy actually had strong feelings for Sakura?

"Well then, maybe I should just remind you why I'm clearly better than her." the girl said seductively.

"No, now if you excuse me Ami, I have to go back to my room and wait for her to come." The guy said before he heard footsteps and could say that he had left.

He came out of his hiding spot and had to stop himself from having his mouth hang open. The girl was a walking bombshell for God's sakes. She stood just a few feet away from her in a tight leather tube top and a shirt mini skirt. She had high heels on and showed a lot of skin. Like a lot of it. In fact, it left very little to the imagination. But he really wasn't complaining. She had dyed red hair where the top seemed almost pink and then it lightened out to yellow at the very bottom. She had plump lips and long eye lashes. She was very hot.

"Oh, hello there." she said.

"Hi." He said.

He made sure that he kept his cool. He wasn't about to let this girl see him gaping at her like a fish out of water. No, he was gonna make her gape at him.

"I'm Ami." She said.

"Sasuke." He answered. His voice was dark and alluring. He could see that she was affected by it because of the way that her dark black eyes flickered with excitement.

"How long have you been standing there… Sasuke?" she said his voice softly.

"Actually, I was walking down the hallway and saw you." He said.

"And tell me, do you like what you see?" she asked.

Oh she was a big flirt, maybe even an easy slut. He couldn't believe that the guy just dumped her for Sakura. Well, he would as well but… Sakura was his okay. He would go through hell and back to get to her. But just because she was still his didn't mean that he couldn't sample the other fruits in the baskets.

"Hn." He answered.

"Ooh, the silent type, I like it." She answered.

She pulled something out of the back of her skirt and then as she walked away, she walked past him and slipped it into his hand.

"Give me a call sometimes Sasuke. I look forward to seeing you again." She answered in a seductive voice.

She walked away and he looked at her retrieving back to see that her hair reached her ass. She sashayed her hips back and forth creating a very sexy scene. He looked away from her and then at the paper that she had put in his hand. It held her phone number and a kiss mark on it. He doubts that she made it while they were talking. She probably already had it with her but hey… he said that he needed something or someone to make Sakura jealous. To help him forget about her and maybe Ami was just that thing.

Shoving the note into his pocket, he began walking back to where the elevators were. He was surprised to see Sakura walking from there. This was his chance to make her want him again, to make her remember why she fell for him in the first place, to make her regret ever dumping him.

"Sakura." He said in his natural voice. It was loud enough so that she could hear it.

"Sasuke." She said with as hard a voice as his.

"Where are you headed?" he asked.

"None of your business where, but if you must know, I'm going over to my boyfriend Atsushi's dorm." She said.

The way she said 'boyfriend' really got on his nerves. It was like she was rubbing it in. so what if she has a new guy? Chances are that he's gonna get a new girl in just a couple of days. Because he was determined to get to her before the end of the summer, before school starts just so that he could be occupied with her so much that it would eventually drive not only Sakura, but her little boyfriend as well, nuts. He's gonna kill two birds with one stone.

"Funny you should mention him because I just saw him talking in the halls with some girl. She was really hot, had a nice figure. And from what I heard, she was his girlfriend." He said.

She stopped in front of him, a few feet away, and looked at him with a glare in her eyes. He studied her and saw how her jaw was set and her fingers were clenched into a fist.

"That's impossible, I wasn't talking with him in the halls today." She said with some cockiness.

"I never said it was you Sakura. This girl was wearing very little clothing and was all over him. She even offered to spend a night with him and he took her back to his room. She left it a few minutes ago. I'm guessing he's into a quick fuck." He said.

He knew that everything that he was saying was probably hurting Sakura. He could see it in her eyes, the urge to just break down and cry. But she was holding it in so that she wouldn't be considered weak. It was classic Sakura. But even she could only hold it in for so long.

"Liar, you're just trying to get me to break-up with him. Well guess what Sasuke, it's not happening. Atsushi would never do something like that." she said on the defense.

"How would you know what he would or wouldn't do? You barely know the guy. For all you know, he could have over ten girlfriends and you would be left in the dark."

"Shut up Sasuke, you don't know Atsushi as well as I do. He would never cheat on me."

"Well Sakura, how are you sure that he's not using you to cheat on his girlfriend huh? Maybe you're the one he's using to make her jealous or something if she dumped him. How do you know… that you're not just the rebound girl?"

They stayed silent and he watched her facial expression. He looked at what she was wearing and was slightly shocked to see the ring that was on her finger. It was the one that he had given to her as a proposal. She still kept it. That means that she still has feelings for him otherwise she would've thrown it away or even pawned it for some extra cash.

"Shut… up." he heard her say.

He looked at her and saw something that he had never seen before. Her eyes, they were so cold and hard. He could see almost an intensity in them that he had never seen before. It slightly scared him to see her like that. Her teeth were clenched and her knuckles were pure white. She seemed to be shaking from anger. He had never seen her like that, not once, it was truly a sight to see.

"Shut the hell up Sasuke before I knock you out unconscious." Her threat didn't affect him but she kept talking. "If you think that you can lie to me, make up shit about Atsushi and expect me to dump him just to go crawling back to your pompous ass, then you've got another thing coming. Because that will never happen. Now, get out of my way so that I can go see my boyfriend." She said.

He stayed there looking at her. She held his stare and for a moment, he expected steam to come out of her nose and ears. She just looked so angry. It was like he had struck the ultimate nerve in her.

"Did I strike a nerve?" he asked.

"Get the fuck out of my way!" she yelled at him.

She walked to him and then pushed him aside and began walking to the specific dorm. He didn't bother watching her leave; he had more important things on his mind. But the look she had, he still couldn't get it out of his mind. She seemed so furious, like a bull ready to strike. And he was glad that she hadn't because he didn't feel like going to the hospital because Sakura may seem weak, but she's not. And all those times that she had fought with Karin in high school proved her might.

Shaking his head and letting all of his nerves go, he resumed the walk to the elevator. He was gonna take his car and drive far, far away. Maybe even to Suna to visit someone who he hadn't seen in a while. And Suna was just a couple hours away. He could be there and come back just before school starts. That was his plan, he was gonna go to Suna for the weekend. It might give him some time to clear his head and find out a way to get Sakura back. But to do that, he would need Ami.

Looks like he was getting a new girlfriend.

* * *

.

* * *

Neji struck the punching bag with the glove using all his force. Her heard the chains clink as it moved back a bit and headed back for him. He struck it again, this time harder, and then put his hands down to his side. That had to be about the 100th punch that he had given that thing. And boy was he tired.

He ran his gloved hand through his hair and then took in a few deep breaths. Once his adrenaline was slightly calmer, he began hitting the bag again. He was working out while the rain kept him in. He doesn't like just standing around doing nothing, so he decided upon heading over to the campus gym in the middle building and working on a few of his techniques.

Boxing was his favorite along with karate. They both required raw strength and balance of the mind and body. At least to him it did. To others it was just a way to learn how to kick someone's ass in a matter of seconds. And while that was kinda right, he liked to see the better side of things.

He heard the door open but didn't bother in looking at who had just entered. He kept his mind focused on delivering a few combination punches to the reddish-brown leather material of the rube shaped object in front of it. The sound that it made when his glove connected with it was like music to his ears. Others might find it weird that he thinks that but he is a Hyuuga. And Hyuugas all have different tastes in several things.

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in." he heard.

He stopped his work-out to look at his old flame. Tenten stood there with her hand on her hip. She had a displeased look on her face, although her lips were slightly curled up into a smirk of some-sorts. She had a training bag on her shoulder and wore a red tank, black bra -he could tell because he saw the straps- ad sweatpants. It was similar to what he was wearing except he didn't wear a bra and his shirt was a different color and made for a different gender.

"Tenten, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"Do I have to explain myself to you know? You don't own this place Neji. I can come here if I please." She said.

He began to glare at her and then turned back to his work-out. He wasn't about to let her delicious form distract him. And while he could feel the sexual tension in the room –most of it caused by him because he wanted her- he refused to acknowledge it because it would just get in the way.

Despite the noise that the punches that he was making made, he could still clearly hear shuffling in the back ground. A zipper was opened and then something was rolled out. He had to admit that he was curious as to exactly what she was doing but he wouldn't give into his curiosity. He had things to do and he wouldn't let her get him side-tracked.

But after hearing a few strangled sounds that sounded a bit erotic to him –he's been spending too much time with Naruto- he decided to look at what she was doing. And what he saw was a clear view of her behind as she was bent over to stretch and touch her right foot with her left hand. She was doing yoga and the position was very erotic. Her shirt lifted up a bit and he could've sworn that he caught a glimpse of something before she raised her upper body up and began to do the exact same thing with her other hand.

Her ass was round and perfect. He wanted to go over to her and just pull her into his body. To whisper in her ear of a few positions that they could be doing at the moment that could be considered a new type of yoga –yep, he was definitely spending too much time with Naruto and his perverted self. But he didn't care, because at the moment all he wanted was one thing… Tenten.

"Quit staring at my ass." He heard her say.

He blinked and shook his head of the dirty thoughts. Instead he went back to punching the bag and ignoring what she had said. He wasn't gonna lie and say that he wasn't staring at it, he was just gonna-

"I would if there was anything to look at." He answered.

Oh yeah, he had definitely changed over the summer. And he was gonna use his new-found cockiness to get Tenten at her maddest. Because if there was one thing that he knew, then it was that no one could ever control the actions that they do when they're mad.

"What the hell did you just say Hyuuga?" she asked.

He stopped once again and looked at her. She was now fully up from her bent over position. It slightly saddened him to not being able to see one of her best assets but he's already seen it all multiple times before. Because although they had kept their sex life a secret back in high school, they usually went at it whenever they weren't eating, sleeping or at school.

"I said that you have a flat ass. What, are you deaf now Tenten?" he asked.

She walked over to him and he saw how her hips slightly moved from side-to-side with each step she took. And he knew that she wasn't trying to. Because if she was trying to seduce him, then she would've walked over here slowly, with steps that had you wondering what she was up to.

"No I'm not deaf and I don't have a flat ass either. And I think that out of everyone in the world, you should perfectly know that fact very well Neji." She said.

He chuckled.

"Yes I do know Tenten, but in time a person's looks can wear off. It looks like that's already starting to happen to you Tenten. A bit sooner than I expected but it's the way of life." he answered.

She saw how her eyes narrowed and how her fingers began twitching. She wanted to hit him square across the jaw, which was one of her warning signs after all. He knew that it would only take a few more insults to get her anger meter to blow and she would do something very unexpected.

But what he saw her do next really surprised him. It was almost un-Tenten like.

"You know what, forget it, I'm not gonna take anything you take seriously Neji because you're a huge dumbass. And a dumbass is never right about anything. Now if you excuse me, I have some yoga to do." she turned around, her short hair moving slightly and then started walking back to where her red yoga mat was placed.

'You've changed.' He thought. 'But just exactly how much?'

"Hm, smart move Tenten, I wouldn't have wanted you to make a complete fool of yourself by using your anger to try and take me on. After all, we both know who would've won that fight. Of course it was only expected, your weaker form couldn't possibly match up to my stronger one." Push, push, push, he was just pressing all the right buttons to get her to her maddest.

She began to growl under her breath. She wasn't dumb; she knew what he was doing. But she wouldn't dare give him the satisfaction of giving him what he wanted. Oh no, no, no, that was not the way she rolled. She never let any guy get whatever he wanted from her without a fight or a few curses and yelling. Sometimes she even controlled her urges to keep from giving in.

"Stronger one? I thought you had just gotten after." She countered back.

"With muscle unlike you who has obviously consumed too many sweets." He said without missing a beat.

'Fuck you Hyuuga Neji.' She thought in her mind. She wasn't about to say it out loud because that would just mean that she was getting angry and close to caving in, the exact thing that he wanted.

"For your information, I do not eat too many sweets. That's Yayuki right there, not me. And as for your so-called muscle, that's just hardened fat like it's always been." She said.

"You should know a thing or two about hardened fat huh Tenten?" he asked.

Okay, she was wrong, she couldn't do this anymore. There was no way that she could continue to act like everything that he was saying wasn't bothering her when it clearly was. She wanted to punch him so badly, to just feel the bones of his jaw make contact with those of her fist.

"You know what Hyuuga," she said as she began walking closer to him. "You've got some hell of a nerve to talk to me like that." she was standing right in front of his chest, looking up at his face for he was a bit taller than her. "Do you not know who I am? I am Tenten, badass Tenten and I will surely kick your ass if you don't stop talking about my weight." She began to poke his chest with her finger and she had to admit that it was pretty hard. "And if you have anything else to say, then say it to my foot as I shove it up your tight-wad ass!" she exclaimed.

They were quiet; her hands were on her hips. Her lips were pouted forward with a glare and an aura that said, 'Say something, make my day Hyuuga Neji. Make my fucking day!'

She watched as he smirked down at her and then in one quick motion, she was pressed against his hard chest. She slightly gasped and with an open mouth, she looked up at him. Boy had she wished that she had closed her mouth because the second she made eye-contact with him, he brought his lips down on hers and shoved his tongue into her mouth.

She didn't make any movement to kiss him back. Probably because she was still stunned by his action. Who knew that he was like that, so spontaneous and… not so up-tight. He was completely different from what she once knew him to be. And…

Why was she kissing him back?

But there was no doubt about it. She was kissing him back, playing with his tongue and invading his mouth. She moaned –it was completely out of her control- and placed her hands on his shoulders. He brought her in tighter and she gently closed her eyes. She was actually enjoying the feeling of kissing him.

She was actually beginning to-

She pulled back and slapped him. His head was turned to the side and she could clearly see a small tint of red where her hand had made contact with his cheek. He slowly turned his head back to hers and she glared at him.

"Never kiss me again. Got that you sick bastard? Now let go of me." she snarled at him.

He still held her in his grip and it was beginning to annoy her. So she dug her nails into his arms and he released her. Not wanting to be in his presence any longer, she went over to where her bag and things ay and she began to pack up. She rolled up the bag and didn't bother with putting it back in the bag. She just held it under her arm and with the strap around her other arm, she headed for the door. She topped with it wide open and looked back at him. She cleared her throat and he looked at her.

"Next time you dare to do something like that, I'm gonna chop your balls off Hyuuga. Good day." She said.

She stepped out and closed the door, not looking back or waiting for him to say anything. Her lips still tingled and she could feel her heart beating faster because of the kiss. That was the last time that he would ever be able to kiss her. That, she would make sure of.

* * *

.

* * *

"I know she's his girlfriend and it doesn't bother me one bit." Ino said.

She was laid down on her bed with her arms spread out except for the one that was holding her phone to her ear. Her head was rested against her plushy, soft pillow and her hair was un-raveled and going in all sorts of directions. Her legs were open and she enjoyed the comfortable position.

"Believe me, I don't care that he's dating her. He can do whatever the hell he wants. I don't control him anymore. And if he wants to get different types of STDs then so be it."

She was on the phone with Yayuki who had asked her if she was bothered with Kameko being Shikamaru's new boyfriend. She of course said that she didn't mind. Her grudge on Kameko was of course gone after they graduated and with Shikamaru not being there to hold her back, she was able to date a few cute guys. But none of them met her standards after the first date. They clung to her too much. She wishes that she had a guy who knew when to give her space. Kinda like-

"I don't care if he kissed her. He can kiss whoever he wants; it's none of my business."

She scoffed at what Yayuki then said.

"So what? If he can get himself a new girl, then I can get myself a new guy. I promise you that by the end of the first week of school, I'm going to have myself one hell of a hot college guy on my arm. Hot enough so that I can rub it in her and his face. Also to make a statement." She waited while her friend asked her something. "What statement you ask, well it's this; I don't care about their relationship. I've moved on, in fact, he's the very last thing on my mind."

She played with the hairs of her side-bang as Yayuki spoke a few things to her. Then her friend said that she had to go because something came up.

"Okay then, I'll talk to you later." She said. "Alright, bye."

She ended the call and then snapped her phone closed. She placed it on the bed and put both her hands behind her head, supporting it up.

So what if Kameko and Shikamaru were dating. She had gotten over that weeks ago, when she first ran into them. Sure she was slightly upset at the fact that he was dating the very girl, who once tried to kill her by delivering a hard dodge ball to her head, but she managed to duck it, and that only made Kameko's attempts more violent. I mean, couldn't he remember how many times she had had to wear protection during gym everyday just so that she could survive the period? Apparently not because he was dating that same girl.

And what upset her the most about it was that Kameko had gotten him to do something that she'd been trying to get him to do since they first became a couple. He had actually changed his hair for her… how messed up was that? And now she's all over him and spending her free time with him and kissing him and… ugh! She hated it.

But whatever. He wanted to play that game, she could do it too. She could just as well show that she's moved on. He will no longer be able to haunt her for she was a strong independent woman and she will prove him, her, all of them wrong. She, Yamanaka Ino, was a fighter. A fighter that won't stop until she takes her last breath. That's how passionate she is about the whole thing.

She'll prove him wrong if it's the last thing that she does. Get ready Shikamaru, she thought; because you're about to fully understand the power that she still has over him.

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Oh my god this was such a long chapter. But I must say that I am glad with myself. I managed to include every couple without over-shadowing Sasuke and Sakura. And best of all, I made the chapter in like an entire day. I hope that you enjoyed it because I packed a lot of stuff into it. I have to say that I am getting better at writing. At making them more lengthy so that you'd have more to review about. And with all the shocking scenes that I added in this chapter, I know that there was plenty to review about. Anyways, hope that you just loved this chapter and that it makes up for the long wait.

Xoxoxo Chibi Star Vamp


	5. First Day of Classes

Yay a new chapter of one of my favorite stories. And of course after this one is a chapter of 'Bracelets' which I'm sure you're all just dying to read. But of course how wouldn't want to read that one, it is Ino and Shikamaru's chapter after all. Any who, this is the beginning of all the chapters that involve them being in school, so some parts might be a bit dull because of all the reports and crap that they'll have to do but other parts will be very steamy. And since this is an M-rated fic, why not make it sound like one by adding some fluffy wuffy parts? So yes, I'm going to start being perverted, just a heads up okay.

Reviews

Too Lazy to log in P- here's your update, hope that you like it.

rocky1980- thank you for the compliment. I try very hard to fit as much as I can into one chapter, and by that I mean include all the other four couples but still not over-shadow the main one. Glad that I seem to be doing a good job on it.

sakura-cherrytree- I know, and yet it's still not the longest chapter that I've ever written. The longest chapter ever was the Tenten one for 'Bracelets'. I know that Sasuke is acting like a jackass but let's be honest, he kinda is. I mean, who leaves a 12 –she was 12 right?- year old girl, out cold on a bench? Sakura could've gotten molested or murdered. Thank god she didn't. Oh and the kiss-and-make-up part is coming soon, not very soon, but it will come. When might you ask, just wait and see.

I Love All Books- glad that you love it and here's the update. Sorry that it's not soon like you requested but I've got a lot on my plate.

Sasukeuchiha1101- glad that you thought that it was worth the wait, I really hope that this one is worth the wait as well. As for the whole Sakura dumping Atsushi for Sasuke thing, that's not gonna happen just yet. The characters still need some time to grow and really think about their feelings before they can come to their senses. And you're welcome for the tip, I always enjoy helping others improve through my own writing.

Enjoy!

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Three days later, first day of classes

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BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

She groaned, twisting in the bed to find a new better, more comfortable position to sleep. She slightly pounded the pillow with her fist to give it some more resistance.

BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

She wouldn't dare to get up. She was having too sweet of a dream to just wake up now. If she woke up, then she won't be able to see how it ends and she really, really wanted to see how it ended. It was one of her steamiest dreams yet and… it kinda made her a little wet.

BEEP

BEEP

BEEP

The incisive beeping just wouldn't stop. It seemed to be growing louder and louder by the second. She groaned again and turned her head to the right, now facing the wall in the room. She sighed and then tried to go back to sleep, but the sound continued.

BEEP

BEEP

BE-

It abruptly stopped. She sighed out in happiness and tried to get back to sleep to finish her delightful dream. She was already under him, his larger body on top of hers, his chest glistening from the water that he had splashed on himself, his eyes, boring into hers and sending shivers down her spine. She smiled in her sleep. But the smile soon turned upside-down when she saw that the clear vision of his face was getting murky.

His eyes looked like two gumdrops, just round, colorful circles. His chest didn't look toned anymore. The arms wrapped around her waist seemed to be changing into noodles and he was melting. What was happening? What was happening to her glorious dream?

"Sakura… Sakura wake up." she heard.

Who was that? Was that the voice of the melting guy on top of her? No, it couldn't possibly be… his mouth was gone. But then who…

"Sakura come on," the voice sounded annoyed and grouchy. "We have to get up." there was a bit of a whining tone to it and as she regained her hearing, she could hear shuffling in the background. "Come on Sakura get up… we've got classes today."

She began to open her eyes. She fought the heavy urge to close them once again, knowing perfectly well that if she did that, she'd surely be punished for it later. She let out a heavy groan and then turned her body in the opposite direction. She blinked a few times, clearing her vision, and looked up at her best friend.

"Oh… (yawn) good morning Ino." She said with a bit of a raspy voice.

"Good morning nothing Sakura, class starts in one hour and we're not even close to getting ready." Ino stated.

She rubbed at her eyes, getting most of the crust off of them and then sat up in her bed. Pulling the sheets off of her, she placed her two feet on the ground and inserted them into the slippers nearby. She wasn't sure if they were even hers. They were just close and she needed slippers.

Stretching her arms out as Ino walked away and began preparing herself for the first day, Sakura let out another yawn, a nice, long yawn that seemed to have gotten rid of all of her sleepiness. She stood up from the bed and went over to the dresser that held the mirror. She looked at her own reflection and got rid of any crust that had managed to stay on her eyes. Pulling her hair back with a scrunchie, she went over to the closet, her side, and began picking out her clothes for the first day of classes.

She looked upon the wide selection of clothing. She had to pick something that seemed casual, but still appropriate. I mean, she didn't feel like going into class wearing a tank and shorts… or maybe… nah, that'd just be unprofessional. She needed something that she wouldn't mind wearing for up to 5pm. That was after all when all classes ended.

She placed her hand on a pair of grey jeans. They seemed good enough to wear on the first day but they seemed a bit dull as well. I mean, grey, really? She could certainly do better than that on the first day. She grabbed another article of clothing. It was a light blue Aeropostale shirt that looked like a baseball jersey. It sure was nice and everyone wore Aeropostale so that should do. She placed the shirt in her hand, out of its hanger and now resting on her shoulder. She looked through her side once more and finally found the perfect pair of jeans. They were a nice dark blue and almost seemed like skinny jeans. She could wear them with her electric blue Nikes and she'd have a full outfit, perfect.

Grabbing the other pieces mentioned before, she got her towel, a fresh bra and panty and socks and then waited for Karin to finish up getting clean. Ino was still freaking out over what she had to wear. She should've picked it out the night before; that would've surely helped avoid the current situation.

"Oh my god, where are those shoes?" Ino asked as she looked under their shared bunk bed for the shoes of her mind. She poked her head from under the bed and looked at her. "Have you seen my gold flats Sakura? I need them today." Ino said.

"Your gold flats… didn't you wear them yesterday to the beach?" she asked. They had decided to have a huge bonfire at the beach yesterday. They spent the day having fun and relaxing before all of the pressure of entering college for the first time –officially- hits them the following day, or in this case, at the moment.

"No, I wore my sandy brown pumps to the beach yesterday, not my gold flats. Ugh, you're no help." Ino said.

The blonde continued her scavenger hunt for the shoes as if she were Indiana Jones searching for the valuable golden treasure that would surely save them all. She rolled her eyes and heard the click of the door as Karin opened it and stood out. The girl wasn't wearing something that showed too much skin, but it was a bit too tight for her, but Sakura didn't really care. She was just glad that Karin was up and out of the bathroom and that now she could take her turn.

She entered and then closed the door and locked it. She then placed her clothes on the countertop of the sink and began to strip down out of her pajamas. She took off her shirt and then her pants. She finally undid the straps of her bra and slipped out of her panties. Taking all four items in hand, she then threw them in the pink hamper that was hers. Since they all agreed that they would have to be independent and do their own laundry, they each had a hamper with a different color stating that was theirs. Hers was pink, Ino's was purple and Karin's was red.

She went over to the shower and turned it on. Then she flipped the switch that turned the showerhead on and the water began to sprinkle onto the bathtub floor. While the water was running, she put her hair up and then covered it with a plastic shower cap. She knew that she wouldn't have enough time to dry her hair. She got out of the slippers –now realizing that they were Ino's- and stepped inside.

She shivered a bit as she closed the shower curtain and then grabbed the soap. She took the sponge and quickly lathered it with the soap and began to wash herself. If she took five minutes in her shower and got dressed quickly, she might just have enough time to eat something for breakfast.

She moved the sponge on her neck and then her arms. Doing circular motions on her stomach and around her breasts, she cleaned away all of the dirt and then proceeded to her legs. She lifted her foot to wash the soles of her feet and then almost slipped and fell when she placed it back on the drenched floor. Going back up to her shoulders, she cleaned under her arms and then inside her ears and finally rinsed the sponge of all the soap and but it back. She stood under the water so that it could get rid of all the foam on her body and once she felt around to make sure that none was left, she turned the water off and opened the curtain.

She shivered a bit as she grabbed her towel and began to dry herself with it. She stepped out of the tub and slid her feet into the slippers and walked over to where the mirror was. Drying everywhere, she finally took off the wet shower cap and watched as her dry hair bounced and then fell flat on her back. She placed the shower cap back on the hanger and then grabbed her underwear and began to put it on. After securing the white bra and slipping on the white panty, she grabbed the blue Aeropostale shirt and started dressing herself.

She pulled at the hem of the shirt and pulled it as far as she could. Grabbing the jeans, she put them on leg-by-leg and then pulled them as high as they could and then buttoned them up. She sat down on the toilet and pulled her socks up on both of her feet and finally started getting into her Nikes. She pulled the shoes up and then began tying the knot. Once she was done with her left foot, she did her right foot and then stood up and went over to the mirror. She stared at her reflection and saw how the blue really made her eyes pop. Looks like all of Ino's fashion tips are finally coming in handy.

She grabbed her toothbrush and the toothpaste. Turning the sink water on, she spread the paste on the brush and began to brush her teeth diligently. She brushed in circles and side-to-side. Then she started brushing her tongue with the back of the brush and finally she spit out all the foam and grabbed one of the paper cups that they had there, filled it with water and began to rinse her mouth. Taking in some water, she gargled it in her throat and then spit it out. She then threw the paper cup away in the recycling bin next to the trash can –the school was HUGE on recycling- and turned the water off.

Letting out a sigh of cool, clean air she blinked a few times and looked at the clock over the mirror, 8:30, she still had thirty minutes left before she needed to get to her first class. Grabbing her brush, she began to fix her hair for the day. Pulling all of her hair back, she grabbed the dark blue headband there and placed it in her hair. It was a stretchy one and wrapped around her entire head. She placed it neatly behind her ear and then made sure that it was perfect on her hair. She was so glad that her forehead didn't seem huge anymore. She grabbed some oil and then ran it threw her hair, making it nice and shiny.

She looked at herself in the mirror. The diamond studded earrings that she always wore glistened in the light of the bathroom. She smiled at herself. She looked so ready for the first day of school. She then grabbed her towel and left the bathroom.

"About time forehead!" Ino rushed into the bathroom the second she was out. The door slammed and Sakura could easily sense the young girl's distress... poor Ino.

She put her towel back on its hook near her bed and then went over to her dresser to find the rest of the stuff that she would need that day. She found her Student ID Card and the key to her car. She placed the card around her neck and then pocketed the keys. She then searched under her bed for her backpack –stocked with everything that she would need- and found it. Her backpack held her books and her schedule. She opened it to find the piece of paper and studied it.

Her first class starts at 9:10 but she had to be there at 9 for introductions and everything. Each class was an hour long and from 12 to 1, she would have time for lunch. Then she would have another four hours of classes before finally being able to call it a day at 5pm. Damn, that was so much longer than high school, she almost misses it.

"How do I look?" the door to the bathroom slammed open and Ino stepped out.

She wore some capris shorts that reached her knee and had a gold belt around it. The shirt she wore was yellow and was strapless, but she could easily see the plastic straps used as extra support to keep it up. Ino wore an orange bra that day and… hey! She found her gold pumps, good for her. She had on a few accessories and her hair was in its infamous style.

"Perfect." she answered. She knew that if she said anything else, Ino would freak out and try her best to change.

"Good, now all I need is my backpack…" Ino continued talking as she grabbed for the stuff after she said what she needed. "My keys…" the girl searched through the dresser and got the keys. "And finally my Student Pass." She found the card hanging from the braided rope and quickly put it on. "Oh come on Sakura, drive us to campus." Ino grabbed at her hand and began to pull her. She was so glad that she already had all of her stuff with her.

They were running out of the room, Ino quickly shut the door and started guiding her to the elevator at an insane speed.

"Slow down Ino, I wanna get some breakfast." She said.

"Sorry Sakura," Ino said as they took the stairs. It seemed like the elevator was just too slow for the girl today and Sakura almost stripped once over her own two feet. "But no time for breakfast, if we're late to class then we'll be in so much trouble." She couldn't believe that this was the Ino who used to not care on whether they were late for class or not.

They reached the ground floor and Ino was a blur of yellow as she started for her car. Sakura rolled her eyes and then looked ahead.

This was gonna be some day.

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She looked at him through her half-lidded irises. Her brown eyes gleamed with determination and she leaned in to place a kiss on his lips. He didn't feel anything when she kissed him, not that he expected it, she was just a tool. She tried to get him to open up her mouth. He pulled back. No girl does that to him, it's the other way around.

"Sasuke-kun, what's wrong?" Ami looked at him with slightly sad eyes.

"We have to get to class Ami." He answered.

The girl sighed out and then sat back down properly in the seat of his car. He had been right, Ami was a huge slut. On their first date two days ago, she wore a tight black dress that almost showed the thong that she wore. She had her hair puffed up and wore high black heels that almost made her reach his height. She had spent the entire day flirting with him, not once he had managed to have a conversation with the chick without her trying to move too fast.

And worst of all, he had spotted Sakura on that night. She had been wearing the prettiest dress that day but wore the ugliest accessory, that guy. He still remembered everything that he did for the girl at the restaurant. He had pulled out her chair, complimented her several times and in the end, he got a kiss from her. And as for his girl… well she tried to grope him under the table.

It honestly disgusted him. She was such a disgrace to her kind. He hated slutty girls. He liked pure girls like Sakura. Girls who took pride in their body and their looks and knew how to balance the right amount of make-up with clothes and just ended up looking spectacular and earning so much attention but without exposing too much of themselves.

"Okay fine," she said with some attitude. She had been chewing gum –or was that his gum?- and popped it before looking back at him and smirking. "But you owe me later on, okay Sasuke-kun?" she said.

Not answering, he began to put the car in drive and was about to get out of the parking space when he caught glimpse of pink and blue in his rearview mirror. Blinking a few times and adjusting the mirror, he got better focus on Sakura. She was talking to Ino about something. Then both girls entered the car and started driving off.

"Sasuke, what are you waiting for?"

Ami's voice snapped him out of his daze. She looked so beautiful. With her hair pulled back, he could easily take time to admire the new features of her face. She was shaping into a woman, and a beautiful one at that. The curves of her body were so well defined and she was much more interesting to look at than Ami.

"Sasuke!"

He shook his head and looked at Ami. She was slightly glaring at him and had her arms crossed over her chest. He sighed out and then began pulling the car out of the spot. Shifting the gear to drive and turning the wheel left, he began to leave the parking lot and headed for campus. While campus was just on the other side of the block, many students drove there because of how heavy the books would be. Plus when classes were over, they'd all drive off somewhere to relax until the next day.

He waited for a few cars to pass by and then he began driving to the other side. From the corner of his eye, he could see Ami adding more lip-gloss and eye-shadow to her face. He inwardly snarled t her. How much make-up did one girl need? Sakura never wore make-up, and when she did, it would be very light and natural looking that just gave her a slight glow to her face.

He turned left one last time and saw the school parking lot just up ahead. He pulled in and started finding a parking spot. There weren't that many left, but he found one and lucky him, it was next to Sakura. He could easily recognize that car anywhere plus, they had just parked and were stepping out.

Killing the engine, he took his keys and placed them in the pocket of his jeans. He got out and so did Ami. He pretended not to notice the look of shock on Ino's face through the mirror of Sakura's car, and just went to his trunk to grab his backpack.

The doors to the other car finally opened and out stepped Sakura and Ino. He glanced at her and saw that she purposely kept her eyes down, avoiding him.

"Oh Sasuke-kun," Ami gained his attention as she got her bag and then placed something in his hand. "For you." She pouted her lips forward, trying to make it sexy.

He looked at what she had placed in his hands and saw that it was… a g-string. Wow, now was that classy or what? He looked at the skimpy material and could see the white stain there. He kept the urge to lash out at her inside. Sakura was just steps away and he had to keep up the image that the slutty girl was his girlfriend, his new love interest.

"Hi Sasuke," the soft voice made his heart thump loudly. He turned his head to look at Sakura who was walking over to them. "It's… nice to see you again… I guess." She said.

"Yeah, nice to see you too Sakura." He stared at her. Her green eyes always captivated him. No matter how much you looked into them, they always made you wonder: how could eyes ever get that green?

"Um, excuse me, but I don't believe that we've met." Ami stepped into the conversation, literally, the chick steppe don his shoes and he pulled his foot back before his anger grew nice and high. "My name's Ami." She said.

Sakura gave the girl a weird look, studying her from head to toe. He could practically hear what she must be thinking, why is Sasuke with this girl? The pinkette gave him a curious glance, and so did Ino who was right behind her. Then Sakura opened her mouth and responded to Ami.

"Hi, I'm Sakura, nice to meet you." There wasn't as much enthusiasm in her voice but it was only to be expected.

"Oh really, I never would've guessed considering how he called you 'Sakura'." There was attitude in her voice again. Attitude that he knew Sakura hated. "But whatever, I guess its okay to meet one of his… what are you to him?"

Sakura stayed quiet for a few moments as she pondered the question. Sasuke was hoping that maybe, she might call him friend. Of course he hasn't been anything close to a friend to her in months but she should still call him a friend. He still cared about her. He cares about her so damn much that sometimes he wonders that when he looks in the mirror, is he looking at himself, or somebody else.

"I'm… his ex-girlfriend." She finally said after seconds that felt like hours.

It hurt to hear her say that. Yes it was true, but it also meant that she had given up on him, on them. She had apparently moved on. And her new douche-of-a-boyfriend confirmed it. Sakura was, sadly, over him. Which is exactly why he has to get her to be his again.

"His ex-girlfriend," Ami paused to look at him and then smirk. She then looped his arm through hers and clutched onto him tightly. Oh hell, she was a jealous clinger, dammit. "Well then I guess that this is nice, considering the fact that I'm his NEW and IMPROVED girlfriend." Did she really have to add so much to those two words?

It was silent. He looked down at his watch and saw that they had three minutes to get to class. He wanted desperately to just take Ami away from the girl before she tries anything to hurt her. He wasn't worried about Sakura's safety at all. The girl could kick ass, she can certainly handle herself. But he was more worried about the bloody pulp that she might beat Ami into. That would just ruin his plan but at the same time show that Sakura still cared for him.

"Oh… okay then… I'm happy for you both." Sakura turned her head to glance at Ino. Something flashed in the young girl's eyes and then she looked at them both. "I guess we'll see you around, come on Ino." They both began to walk away. He watched her retreating back. Her hips moved back and forth, the jeans doing well to shape her butt into the perfect mold. Damn did he lust after her.

"Hm, so that was her huh? Kinda of a weirdo if you ask me. I mean, did you see that pink hair, it's so totally obvious that she dyed it." Ami commented.

"Looks who talking about dyed hair." He mumbled under his breath.

"What did you say?" Ami asked.

He sighed out. "Hn, I said that it was natural." He began to lead her to the main school building. She was mumbling incoherent things under her breath but he really didn't care much to try and figure out what she was saying. He had better things to think about than his fake –but real to her and everyone outside his group- girlfriend.

And as she kept blabbing on about something that he really couldn't give a rat's ass about, he came to a conclusion; he missed Sakura.

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She tapped her pencil against the wooden desk. The desks weren't like the high school wooden ones. No, these were absolutely beautiful. The color was in the middle between a light brown and a dark brown with patches of both colors here and there. The smoothness of the desk was flawless. She glided her hand against it and saw that not once did her hand kinda stick to it and then continue. The desks were polished and she could see her reflection in them. She blew away a lock of her hair before it reached her eyes.

She stared up at the dry-erase board there. The class wasn't as large as she thought that it would be. The desks were long and were actually curved as to fit the way that the room was built. There were different levels; rows if you may, and she was in the fifth row staring down at the podium here there should be a professor. The board was very large, providing plenty of room for information that she will be forced to write down.

She had a notebook on the desk as well in front of her along with the book that she would need for the class. She looked at the book titled 'Trigonometry'. She always thought that normal, high school math was hard, but after opening the cover of the book and reading the first page, she actually missed high school math.

She sighed out. There were a lot of kids in the class –or auditorium- already and they all seemed to be happily chatting away. She was so upset. None of the girls had this class with her at all. This would be the only class that she'd ever be lonely in. she was so friendless.

The chair next to her swiveled and she looked up to see how was taking a seat next to her. She glared at the person. Couldn't he sit somewhere else?

"Tenten." Neji said.

"Hyuuga." She refused to call him by his first name like everyone else.

Neji chuckled out and began to take his stuff out. She looked at him from the corner of his eyes and had to admit that she hated the fact that she was still slightly attracted to him. She couldn't help it, he was just so gorgeous. And the whole long hair thing didn't usually work for guys but it worked perfectly for him. He made everything work, especially those unusual eyes of his.

Neji could feel it, Tenten was looking at him. He was so glad that he had decided to sit next to her now. She looked remarkable. On that say, she had decided to wear a dress. And the dress was hot pink but she accessorized it with a black, spiky belt around the waist and a leather jacket to give it that Tenten style to it. She also wore two-inch high-heeled shiny black boots and… man he wanted her.

He hated how each night, he dreamt of one of their past experiences with each other. In fact, last night had been about the day that he took her virginity. Because of his family, he was against it –they believed in saving their first time for their betrothed, but Tenten had just turned him on so badly that he couldn't take it and just went at it with her. And when he woke up, he had created a tent in his bed. Yeah, he was just so glad that Shikamaru was a heavy sleeper because had the spiky-haired boy seen that, he probably wouldn't hear the end of it. But thank god he had managed to get rid of it in time.

He stopped himself from thinking about it again before he got another hard-on. He let out a shaky breath, trying to calm himself down, and then looked at Tenten who was currently chewing her pencil.

"So what, you need something to suck on and chose the pencil?" he asked. She snapped his head to him and almost broke the pencil in two with her teeth.

"You must be a real sadist Neji." She answered.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because you keep asking me to beat the living daylight out of you." She said with a glare.

He smirked at her as he responded. "And how do I keep asking for a beating from you Tenten-chan?" he saw how her eyes narrowed when he called her that. Oh yes, he was definitely gonna keep asking her that.

"By annoying the shit out of me." she snarled her response at him.

He chuckled as if her anger was a joke to him, which it was. He found out that enjoyed watching Tenten get angry because she always did stupid things when she was angry. Like the time she threw a football at Kakashi's head in high school because he called her fat because she entered class with a donut in her mouth. Yeah, needless to say that she got in serious trouble and had t spend a week in detention for it. The football did almost give Kakashi a concussion. He was so surprised that it hadn't been longer.

"Funny, because all I did was ask a question. You simply misinterpreted it." he responded.

"How the hell did I misinterpret that?" she asked.

He looked at her and got closer to her. He saw how her eyes slightly widened. "I simply asked why you were sucking on the pencil, a simple question, no."

She moved back with a frown on her face. She then turned away and pulled hair behind her ear. She was blushing, the tips of her ears proved so. Then she turned back to him after exhaling and had the pencil in her mouth again. Oh god how he wished that was him instead. He could just imagine her tongue doing circles over him and then feeling inside of her mouth.

He breathed out heavily. Maybe he shouldn't imagine it after all. He was beginning to get turned on and once again, he didn't feel like getting a tent now of all places.

"No, it was a stupid question. Just… Leave me alone Neji." She responded.

He was so glad that she had called him by his name and not his last name. He was beginning to wear her down. Sooner than expected but he didn't really mind. Although he did wish that she was more of a challenge but then again, it did seem like she grew slightly softer over the summer.

He sighed out and felt somebody throw something at the back of his head. The object fell on the ground and he looked down and picked it up. It was a rolled up paper ball. Glancing behind him to see who threw it, he noticed a girl waving at him. She was that girl from the day at the café that he held the door open for. She mouthed, 'Open it' ad he did so. It was her phone number with 'Call Me' written at the bottom in perfect handwriting. He looked back at her and winked; she blushed and then turned her head down.

Tenten couldn't believe it. Neji was such a flirt. She saw what was written on that note. She saw the girl, and hated to admit that she was pretty, and she saw him wink at her. And to think that he was sitting right next to her at the moment, knowing that she could see everything that he was doing, but he still did it.

She turned her attention elsewhere. It was like she was invisible to him. Don't get her wrong, in a way, she was glad that he was moving on. But she just hated the fact that he would do it in front of her.

She still liked him.

And while her brain knew that they were over, her heart said otherwise. It was one of the reasons why she wanted to pursue other guys. She wanted to get over Neji as fast as she could so she doesn't end up like one of those stalker women in the movies who never forget about their high school boyfriend and kept tracking them on everything that they did until the day that they finally realize that the guy was over her and no longer liked her. She didn't want to end up like that.

Sighing out, she went into her backpack which she had placed at her side. She opened up the zipper on the outer pouch and pulled out a pack of Winterfresh gum. Taking a strip out of the small packet, she un-wrapped it and popped it into her mouth. She needed something to chew on, it helped get rid of her nerves. She put the pack back and then closed the zipper. As the gum began to take flavor, the door to the room opened and in stepped their professor.

The old male stood at the podium with a white moustache and a full head of hair. He seemed well built for his age and actually looked good. He had a leather briefcase with him and took out a book.

"Alright, let's begin." He said as he held the book in his hand and began to write on the white board behind him.

* * *

.

* * *

He drew a line that finished off her face. Turning the pencil point to the side, he began to add the shaded in areas that showed where the light didn't hit. There were a lot of dark areas, including her hair. The desk where his notebook was placed was clear. He could see his feet and his backpack. The chairs were metallic silver and the room looked like a simple class. Not many students took the class because it was one of the hardest the school had to offer. Shikamaru, of course, decided to take it along with him, and so did Sasuke. But they each had the class at different times.

He shaded the required areas in and finished just as the door opened and the teacher stepped in. Immediately, he could tell that he would like the class a little bit more. The teacher was a female. She had long auburn hair that was loose and held a lot of volume to it along with some curls. She had on a white blouse with the first two buttons un-done which showed her dark blue shirt underneath. She had on a black pencil skirt and black professional heels. She had green eyes that sparkled and a beauty mark on the side of her left eye. She was very attractive.

"Good morning class," she said as she opened up the purse that she had with her and pulled out a few things that she would need for the class that day. He put away his sketch book into his backpack and pulled out his notebook. "My name is Mrs. Nakayama and I will be your teacher for the rest of the year." She wrote her name on the white board behind her and looked at everyone.

He took a look around and saw that already the males in the room were commenting on their sex-ed up teacher. They were probably thinking that it was a shame that she was married and other things. After all, she did have a nice chest size and big full lips. Her husband must be a very lucky man.

"Now, before we start class, I'm going to take attendance." She pulled out a black book and placed it on the glass teacher's desk. She took a seat in the leather chair there and began to flip through the pages. She was one of those people that licked her finger before she flipped the page. "Alright, let's start wi-"

"Sorry I'm late!" the door burst open and everyone looked at who had entered. He felt his heart swell at the very sight of her.

She was panting heavily, her chest rising in an alluring way even though she was just doing what a normal person would do if they did any form of physical activity. She wore white shorts that day, they were a bit small but she kept to school codes by wearing tights with them that went near her ankle. She also wore an orange shirt where the hem reached her pockets and had a white rose design on it along with a small white jacket that just covered her breasts and was open and short-sleeved. She added a few white accessories and her ankle strap shoes were the soft orange of her shirt. She had a large purse around her shoulder that would serve as her backpack and her hair was in a long braid and had a rose in it. She had small silver hoop earrings and simple make-up. The braid wet over her shoulder and he could see her highlights.

She stepped inside the classroom and then went over to the teacher. The woman looked her up and down and then had something close to a scowl on her face.

"Why are you late Miss…" Mrs. Nakayama said.

"Onagi, Onagi Yayuki." Yayuki stood there with perfect posture and her hand placed on her lap. Mrs. Nakayama looked inside her book and then marked something in. judging by the look on Yayuki's face, it wasn't something good.

"Alright, you apologized for being late, now I need a reason why." There was almost an angry tone in Mrs. Nakayama's voice.

"I'm an insomniac, I couldn't sleep and I slept in. I'm terribly sorry and I promise that it won't happen again." She said. It was true; Yayuki always had trouble falling asleep. He remembered before, whenever she slept in his bed, she would toss and turn so many times until she finally took a pill and fell asleep. He had the same problem, which was why he didn't mind, but at least he learned how to cope with it.

"Hm, make it so, now take a seat." Yayuki shook her head and then looked at the classroom. All of the seats were taken… except for the one next to Hitomi.

"Um, there're no seats." She really, really didn't want to sit next to Hitomi.

"Yes there is, right next to the young man over there, now stop wasting everyone's time and take a seat Miss Onagi." Yayuki sighed out and bowed her head in shame as she took her seat right next to Hitomi. Placing her bag down and getting out her stuff for the class, she focused her attention straight ahead and pretended that the boy wasn't even there.

"Now that that's over with, let me continue with attendance." Mrs. Nakayama began to take attendance and read out the names of everyone in the class. When someone didn't respond after the second call, she just marked them off as absent and continued on.

Hitomi glanced at Yayuki. She seemed to be really upset about being late. There was this sad look in her eyes and they were glossy, like she was about to cry. She shook her head, her bangs bouncing everywhere and then she sighed out and began to take out a separate notebook. The pages were filled with all sorts of writing on it and even a few doodles of musical notes and other things. She kept turning until she found a page that was blank with just lines and she started writing something.

He tried to see what it was that she was writing but he knew that if she saw him, she'd probably snap at him. The last thing that he wanted at the moment was for her to hate him. Yes he told her that he never loved her, and he felt how much that hurt her, but what else was he gonna say? I still love you? No, that would've made the moment much more awkward… even though it was true.

It was the reason why he couldn't stand the fact that she was dating Miomi. He knew that Miomi didn't have true feeling for her like he did. He saw how Miomi had hooked up with a girl once in March, screwed with her, and then dumped her faster he had his fill. The girl had been heartbroken and felt used. He didn't want that to be Yayuki.

"Now that attendance is taken care of, let's begin with today's lesson on the human mind," she began to walk around the room with the pen in her hand and she tapped it against her palm. "How does the human mind function? How does it react to certain situations? How does it affect the rest of your body?" the class was a deep physiology one, the hardest of the hard. It looks like they were starting off with humans first. He hadn't expected Yayuki to be taking it, but that doesn't mean that he wasn't glad that she did. "And more importantly, how do diseases affect the function of the brain?"

She stopped next to him and looked down at what he was writing. He had written down the questions that she said as she walked. He knew that eventually, she will say the answer, and it will be on a test. And if she doesn't, he'll figure it out by himself one way or another.

"Now open up your textbooks to page 10 where we will begin forming our thesis." She seemed to stay behind him a long time and from the corner of his eye, he could see how it was making Yayuki slightly uncomfortable; looks like she didn't like the professor.

Mrs. Nakayama went back to the front of the room just as he and the rest of the class began taking out their Physiology textbooks. He placed his on the desk and began to open up to page ten.

"Crap." He heard Yayuki whisper. He turned his head to her and saw how her facial expression saddened and she placed her bag back down.

Now was his chance to speak to her without her getting angry. "What's wrong?" he whispered in his usual monotone.

She looked at him and for the first time since he's seen her, she wasn't glaring at him. "I left my textbook in my dorm. Man, I can't believe I made such a stupid mistake." She seemed really angry with herself and rested her head in her crossed hands on the desk.

"Look, if you want, we can share my book." He offered. He wasn't about to have her sad. He hated it whenever she was sad. It always made him feel like it was his fault, even though he knew it wasn't, and gave him the urge to just make her happy again so her eyes can shine with her beautiful smile.

She raised her head from her hands and he saw the necklace dangling from her neck. She still wore it even though he had told her that he never loved her. It made him happy. "Why are you being nice to me?" she asked softly.

"Why do you mean?" he answered.

"I mean, why aren't you treating me like you did back in freshman year in high school? How come you're trying to help me?"

He stayed quiet for a moment. He thought of the perfect thing to say to her at the moment and he finally figured it out just as Mrs. Nakayama began reading the page of the book.

"You shouldn't fail this class just because you made one stupid mistake. And if there's a way that I can help you, even though I don't like you, I'll help." He answered. It was perfect; it didn't give away too much plus it still kept the illusion that he hated her.

She said nothing but slowly, a soft smile played itself on her face. Her eyes sparkled and he wanted to smile as well. "Thanks." She replied. She moved the book to the center of the table and began following along with the professor.

"You're welcome." He replied back. He scooted his chair a bit, closer to the middle of the table so that he could get a good look at the book. His fingers brushed up against hers and he felt the tingle there. He wondered if she felt it too.

Probably so. Back when they were dating, whenever he would touch her, she would shiver and say to stop teasing her. He would respond how was his touch teasing her, and she said that it drove her insane whenever his hands were on her body. She loved it. And as he should know…

Old habits die hard.

* * *

.

* * *

She flipped through the pages of her textbook and looked at some of the stuff that was inside. Man, this seemed so much easier to do in her head. She had thought that all she had to do was take a few tests, write a few reports and then get her diploma. But now, as she looked at the large book filled with numbers and words that she might never understand, she came to a conclusion; she's screwed.

She closed the book and then looked down at the desk. The desk reminded her of the ones that used to be in the science lab in high school. They were metal and could hold up to four people. She currently sat at the end of her table, near the window. Two girls sat in the last two seats on the opposite side and were happily chatting away about stuff that she really didn't care about. She caught small parts of it, like how hard it was for them to pick out their outfits that day and how they wished they had an extra week before school started.

She turned her attention outside the window and saw that the sun was slowly moving across the sky; at least she hoped it did because at the moment it looked completely still.

'Come on, come on, speed up, speed up." she chanted in her head. It was just the first hour and already she was hoping for the day to end.

The door opened and two boys walked in. One of them was Miomi, who smiled at her and then took the seat next to her. The male then greeted her.

"Hi Ino." He said.

"Hey Miomi." She responded.

She had to admit that it was a bit surprising seeing him in a class that focused on business and manufacturing. He never seemed like the one that would be interested in that sort of stuff, but he has been surprising her nowadays, so she can just add that to the list.

The she saw how the girls next to him looked at him and then began talking and giggling. She knew perfectly well why. Miomi was an attractive boy. He had a well-built body and nice hair. Any girl would want him if they were single or dating. But she, she was different. Sure she used to have a huge crush on him, and even continued having the crush after he confessed to what he did. But eventually the crush wore off when they started applying for colleges and she started to think about her future. But she was just as glad at having him as a friend as she would be with him as her boyfriend.

"Man, when will this teacher get here?" he complained.

"I'm not sure, class was supposed to start half an hour ago but…" she paused to look at the door as the next person entered. Kameko looked at her and Miomi and then smiled at both of them. She took the seat in front of them.

"Hi you two." She greeted eagerly.

Ino felt a bit of uneasiness at the fact that she was sitting across from her ex-worst enemy. Kameko did seem nicer though. And maybe now, that they were in college, maybe, just maybe, she could let bygones be bygones and try to get along with the girl. It would be tough though because that same girl now held Shikamaru's heart under lock and key… the way she used to.

"Hi Kameko." Miomi said.

"Hey." She responded with a little less enthusiasm than necessary.

"How was your day at the beach yesterday?" the girl asked.

"It was nice. We ate, we swam, we did a lot of things." she answered. She was still feeling a bit uneasy and just hoped that neither of them would notice. "How did you know that we went to the beach?"

"Minamo told me. She said that you guys were gonna chill out for one last day and that you had invited her." she was a bit surprised that Yayuki, of all people, was the one who asked Minamo to come along with. And during almost the entire time, they both isolated themselves from everyone else and talked. "She also said that the swim suit that you wore Ino, was just gorgeous. I for one believe so because you've always had great style." Kameko complimented.

"Oh really… she said that… well… tell her I said thanks and thanks to you too. I of take pride in everything that I wear. In fact today I almost tore our room apart looking for my gold pump, thank god I found it." she wished she could lift her feet to show Kameko the shoes.

"Oh my god, I nearly did the exact same thing looking for my earring. But it was worth it because if no outfit can be called an outfit without the proper accessories."

"So true!" she exclaimed. She had to admit, she was having a good time talking to Kameko. It was nice to know that the girl really had changed over the summer and was, hopefully, willing to become friends with her. Because at the moment, it didn't seem like it would be bad to have Kameko as a friend.

They were in the middle of talking about the right type of hair extensions. Kameko was thinking of trying some out for a week and asked for Ino's advice about it. The door opened and everyone stopped talking and looked up to the front of the class. Her eyes widened at who she saw walk in.

There stood Shikamaru, dressed in a suit and tie and carrying a briefcase. Ino rolled her eyes at his get-up, teacher's pet much. But when he went behind the teacher's desk, placed the items on top of the table and turned around to write his name on the board, she was confused.

"Now," started Shikamaru. "My name is Nara Shikamaru and I will be your professor for this class throughout the entire year." He said in a lazy drawl.

Her eyes nearly bulged out of her head.

"Hold on," she said out-loud. Everyone turned their attention to her but she didn't seem to care. "How can you be the professor if you're just a student yourself?" she asked.

Shikamaru felt his heart skip a beat. Ino was in this class. She was taking one on business and he was the professor. It was like the perfect sex scene scenario. Hot student seduces young teacher to get a better grade on a test. He would certainly enjoy that. But the only problem was that Kameko was also in this class and unlike Ino, she might actually try it.

He cleared his throat, ridding his mind of all the dirty thoughts of Ino trying to have his way with him for an 'A'. "While I may be at the age where I am supposed to be a student Ms…" because he didn't want to blow his cover or make it look like he would play favorites, he looked inside the book that held the pictures and names of all the students. "… Yamanaka," he finally said after taking a good pause to make it look like he actually searched for her in the book. "But my intellectual skills are so high that they asked me to teach a class. I of course accepted and now here we are. So please, don't interrupt me ever again or I'll fail you for the semester." He knew that that sounded harsh but he had to play the harsh teacher role.

He watched as she gained a slightly furious look on her flawless face. His view was of course blocked by Kameko who shyly waved at him and winked. He pretended not to notice her and instead turned around and grabbed the book that held the lesson plan for the day. Raising the black marker nice and high, he began to write down all of his notes on the first page. The board reached from wall to wall and he wrote in the very center of it. The other areas he would later on use for demonstrations and graphs.

He finished writing down the first sentence when he heard snickering and –sticking to the role- he looked behind himself and addressed the class.

"What's going on back there?" he asked as he closed the marker and turned around fully.

The class stayed quiet. He saw how some of them had impassive faces, and others looked like they were about to fall asleep. He landed his gaze on Miomi who looked like he was praying.

"What are you doing?" he asked addressing the question to Miomi. As if the boy knew, he turned his head up to look at him. There was a dumfounded look and he pointed to himself. Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Yes you, now explain to me what you are doing.

"I-I was just… reading my textbook." Miomi said.

"How can that be if it's not even on your desk?" he responded.

"I… I…" Miomi stuttered to find a good response to his question. He honestly couldn't believe that this is what he was gonna be doing for the rest of the four years that he's at the college. "I was…" Miomi let out a sigh of defeat. "I was texting Mr. Nara."

"And who might I ask were you texting?" he asked.

"Me." he switched his gaze to the table in front of them where Kameko had her hand raised and her phone in the other. She had a smile on her face. "He was texting me Professor Nara, I hope that it didn't bother you." She said.

"Well you interrupted my class, and for that you must be punished." He grabbed the marker and un-capped it and continued writing down what was on the paper. "Come by after class so we can discuss your behavior." He said.

"Yes Professor Na-ra." She said with a small giggle in between. He imagined that being Ino saying that instead of Kameko.

Ino couldn't take it. It was like her perfect world was falling apart in her eyes. How could Shikamaru flirt with his… girlfriend –it hurt to not call herself that- right in front of everyone? And then the fact that they might actually end up screwing in the classroom… it sickened her and broke her heart at the same time.

Had he really moved on?

* * *

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* * *

With her head bowed down and her finger tracing random patterns on the table, Hinata let out a small sigh as she looked up at the clock. It was now 10am, and she was in her second class of the day. She had to say, she enjoyed her first class very much. The teacher was nice and even though she didn't she speak much –well she did speak more than when she was in high school- she had manage dot answer a question that no one else in the class knew.

She had felt a sense of pride in herself for the accomplishment. And the fact that the teacher praised her and some kids actually thanked her because it kept them from making fools of themselves really boosted her self-esteem.

Now she was sitting down in a wooden chair attaché dot the desk for her World History class. Before, she just had to focus on the history of Japan and how it came to be the nation that it is, but now she has to focus on the entire world, all of Earth to pass the class. Yes it would be difficult, and there probably will be moments where she'll just want to kill herself but she can do it. She will pass this class, even if it's the last thing she does.

Taking out her textbook, she decided upon doing some ahead-reading while they waited for the teacher to give them the assignment for the day. She opened the book up to page five, where the reading material actually started, and began reading the first paragraph. Immediately she found it harder.

One second she was reading about the history of China and then it went right into Germany. She wasn't much of a multi-tasker, let alone a multi-reader, and already she was afraid of mixing up the information and failing her first test.

'No, think about the positives Hinata, not the negatives.' She told herself.

She took in a breath; eyes closed, and then let it out. She felt calmer, and the world seemed to be moving at a good pace. The teacher turned around just as he slammed the blue marker down on the table. He looked at them all with hard eyes. She was frightened for a moment and then his eyes softened and he actually laughed a bit.

She, along with many other students, looked at the man like he was crazy. But of course they had every right to. What kind of teacher just laughs at the serious expressions on the faces of his students? Apparently this one because he was doing the very same thing at the moment.

He stopped laughing and pushed some of his blonde hair back. He laughed some more and then cleared his throat and looked at all of them with a bright smile. The smile seemed so, so familiar to her. It warmed her heart and made her want to smile along with him. It seemed like she wasn't the only one feeling that because when she looked beside her, a few of the students were smiling also.

"Welcome class, my name is Minato Uzumaki, but you can call me Minato-sensei, Professor Minato, Professor Uzumaki, or pretty much anything as long as you're addressing me in a nice way."

She felt herself go stone cold. Uzumaki, as in… Uzumaki, Uzumaki? No way, there was just no way that… that man was Naruto's… there just couldn't be a possibility. But then again, how was she to say so? In the time that they dated, Naruto had never introduced her to his family leaving her clueless on what they were like. And if this man had the same last name as him, and even looked slightly like him, then yeah, he could be Naruto's father.

"Today's lesson will be all about the beginning of establishing a nation. And to do so, we will look into one of the most powerful nations at the moment, Russia. So open your text books to chapter 4 which has all to do with the Russian history." Minato said.

Hinata did so. She flipped the pages of her textbook until she found the proper section. When she looked back up, Minato was scribbling something in a notebook and then began taking attendance.

"… Hyuuga Hinata…" she said a brief 'Here' and raised her hand as he looked up at her and marked her down on the attendance sheet. He called through more names and the responses came flying out of all sections of the classroom. "…Uzumaki Naruto…" he said.

'Oh man, he has this class too?'

Her inner thoughts were racing as she waited or the loud 'Here!' to be shouted from any direction in the classroom. When there was no response, she looked at Minato who had his eyebrows furrowed –at least she thinks so, they were kinda lost in all the blonde hair- and he mumbled something under his breath.

"Here I am, sorry I'm late dad!"

Naruto came running into the room and began to talk with his father. So it wasn't a coincidence after all, her teacher really was Naruto's father. This means that Naruto could possibly control just how well she did in the class. If he's angry at her, he could easily make his dad fail her in a second. She doesn't want that. But then again, Naruto was a really nice guy. What were the odds that he'd actually do that to her?

Naruto turned around and walked away from his father to take a seat after hearing a lecture on how he should always be on time for class and a stern, 'It better not happen again Naruto.' He aimed his steps towards the small staircase that led to all five rows of students, already filled. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glance at the loveliest creature on the planet.

"Hinata," he whispered out.

There was something about being such a shy little fireball that just made Hinata the most exotic thing to look at. He managed to catch a glimpse at what she was wearing and had to say that he approved of the wardrobe.

She wore a long-sleeved purple shirt made of thin material with a jean vest. She also sported some capris and a pair of purple and grey Vans. She had her silky hair tied up into one ponytail that day and wore two headbands in it. One purple, the other grey. She had on some white socks and a few bracelets. She looked so simple but at the same time absolutely gorgeous.

He tripped and fell on the steps. The class erupted in a small laughter at his mistake. He had been so distracted by looking at Hinata that he hadn't been watching his footing. He got up, backpack in hand and looked at everyone with a small laugh of his own.

"Heh heh, my bad." He said.

"Naruto," his father started. He looked at the man who seemed to be like an older version of himself. He was rubbing the bridge of his noise like he usually would when he was close to getting a headache. "Please just take a seat."

"Sure thing dad." He responded.

He found an empty seat at the top of the room, on the fifth and last row directly above Hinata. He had no problem with calling his dad exactly that while in college. He really didn't mind. His dad never did embarrassing things; in fact it was the other way around really. He remembers that his dad used to try and get him out of the house on the weekends whenever he would have dinner party guests over. His mom was against it because she believed that just because a child is clumsy like he is, as she put, doesn't mean that said child should be kept away from important events. Turns out that his dad actually had the right idea, and they all learned that when he nearly se t the dean to the school on fire after he tried playing baseball inside.

"Now that everyone's situated, we can fully begin the lesson." His dad started. "Like I said before open your textbooks up to chapter 4."

Naruto opened his backpack and took out the necessary book along with a pen and a fresh notebook. He placed all three items on the desk and then closed his backpack back up. Making sure that everything was secure, he opened up the textbook to page 50 where chapter 4 began. Pictured of Russian symbols, words and even famous Russian moments greeted him on the left page. On the right was the beginning of the reading selection.

As his father started reading it and adding in a few of his own personal views on the passage –which he wrote down before he forgot- Naruto looked up from the book for a moment to catch Hinata looking at him. The girl's eyes widened and he smiled at her. They lowered and she gave him a soft smile before turning back around again.

Hinata was such a pretty girl. And while he may be dating Etsu –who was an entire year older than him- he still highly lusted after Hinata. It seemed like every day she would just get more gorgeous than she already is. Her hair was always silky soft and she just looked so squeaky clean. Even after the times that they used to have sex –which she was always reluctant at- she would come out smelling like she had just take a fresh bath.

He loved that about her, her pureness. There were only so many girls in the world that could possess that gift and he was glad –elated that Hinata was one of them. Everything about her was like a breath of fresh air. And the fact that her style seemed to be developing along with her body… it just made her all the more perfect.

"Now can anybody tell me why the Russians were reluctant to favor communism?" his father's voice ringed through the ring and echoed off the walls.

He sighed out and looked at the kids around him. They were all quiet, none of them answering the question. He wanted to try and answer it but he was afraid that he might embarrass his dad if he got it wrong. And he already did that twice by showing up late and following on his way up the stairs. If he did it a third time well… like the saying goes in baseball, 'Three strikes, you're out!' Yeah… he really didn't want that to happen.

"Really, no one can tell me?" his father said.

A hand slowly went up. He looked at the owner and saw that it was Hinata, his little fairy.

"Ah yes, tell us the answer Ms. Hyuuga." His father said.

Hinata cleared her throat and spoke. "The Russians didn't exactly like communism but were a part of it because Vladimir Lenin and his Bolshevik Party had overthrown the Provisional Government in 1917 and taken control. They instituted socialist economic measures to replace the capitalist ones. They were now communist in the political sense because they were run by the Communist Party but in the economic sense, they were socialist." Hinata executed her answer perfectly without stuttering –even though she did keep pressing her fingers against each other- and kept her voice high enough for everyone to hear.

"Very good Ms. Hyuuga; that was just the answer I was looking for. I couldn't have said it any better way myself." His father praised her.

He could just see the blush on Hinata's face as she lowered her head, even though all he could see was the top of it. But it was true, that was the answer, she was so smart. She was also pretty, kind, caring, beautiful…

Just plain perfect.

* * *

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* * *

Lunch

* * *

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* * *

Sakura placed her tray of food that she had gotten on top of the table where the rest of her friends sat. She took off the strap of her messenger bag and placed it under the table near her feet. She sighed out and looked at the four familiar faces. They all seemed slightly tired.

"I'm guessing you guys had a good day as well." She said with some sarcasm as she opened the paper covering her straw and placed it in the hole in her soda cover.

"Good day, please, I was stuck sitting next to Neji for an entire hour." Tenten complained.

"Come on Tenten, it couldn't possibly have been that bad. My cousin has changed a lot over the summer." Hinata defended as she took a bite of her sandwich.

"Oh he's changed alright, and no offense Hinata, but he's a real jackass. I mean he had the nerve to comment on me sucking on my pencil and making me seem like I was a whore." Tenten stabbed her salad and then looked back up. "I can't stand him, he's such a jerk. Once again, no offense."

"None taken." Hinata said as she took a sip of her pop from the can.

Sakura licked her lips as she took a sip of her Coke and then started eating her French fries that she had gotten. "And what about the rest of you, how was your day?" she asked.

"I was shocked to find out that Shikamaru is actually the teacher for my business class." Ino said after she took a sip of her water.

"No way, I have that class next." She said.

"Well get ready to copy down at least five pages worth of notes. And the worst part is that he was flirting with Kameko nearly the entire time and even told her to stay after class. God knows what they're doing." She mumbled under her breath with as little of a hint of jealousy as she possibly could.

"Really, how interesting." She said.

"It's annoying, not interesting." Ino commented.

Sakura could tell that Ino was trying to hide something from them, but she didn't mind, she already knew what it was. She could tell that Ino still had a thing for Shikamaru. She'd be lying if she said that she still didn't like Sasuke. And that hurt her all the more when she met his new girlfriend that morning. And judging by how she was dressed, she was a huge slut. Man, they could be screwing around at this very moment and without her knowing.

She shook her head, not wanting to think of something like that at all. The mere possibility of Sasuke being with another girl was enough to try and break the tough exterior that she had managed to build up. But she wasn't about to crack. She had Atsushi after all now… speaking of which, where was he?

"Naruto's father teaches World History." Hinata said out of the blue.

"Nu-uh." Ino said.

"It's true, they have the same last name and look alike and he called him 'dad'." The girl defended her statement.

"Does he know that you're his son's ex-girlfriend?" Tenten asked.

"I don't think so. Naruto never really spoke to his parents and I've never gotten the chance to meet them. Plus he seemed casual in the least and…" she paused to take a sip of her drink. "I'm just not sure that he even knew that his son had a girlfriend in high school in the first place."

"Weird, you'd think that at some point he would've introduced you to his parents." Yayuki finally joined in on the conversation. "But I guess that it's for the best though, now class won't be so awkward for you." She said with a happy tone to it. It seemed like it was forced because you could easily see the sad look in her eyes.

"I guess so." Hinata said. "By the way Yayuki, how did things go in your classes?" she asked.

Yayuki let out a sigh and took another couple sips of her coffee before she began to answer them. "I think my Physiology teacher hates me." she responded.

"Who, Mrs. Nakayama, why?" she asked. Sakura also took the advanced class as well but at a different time schedule than Yayuki.

"I showed up late to class and she was so pissed at me. For a second I thought that she was actually about to punch me or fail me or… something." She said with some worry in her voice. She took another sipped and then calmed down. "But it wasn't all that bad. I mean sure I had to sit next to Hitomi but he was surprisingly nice to me." she said.

"Hitomi… nice… to you… since when?" Tenten asked.

"Not sure, I mean he said that just because he didn't like me didn't mean that he was gonna let me fail the class if he knew that there was something that he could do to help me. If you ask me, it's rather annoying." Yayuki responded.

"What's annoying?" she asked as she took a sip of her soda.

"All the mixed feelings I get over him. One moment I hate him, with the urge to just punch him square in the jaw and the next… all of my anger is gone and I feel like crying because he's so close and yet so far." Yayuki responded.

Sakura began munching on her chips as the other girls stopped talking and ate as well. What Yayuki had said was true. It was difficult to have them be so physically close to them but at the same time so mentally far. And while they were trying to get over them and move on with their lives, it was a little difficult.

"Man, all of this talk about the guys is starting to annoy me." Tenten said.

"Yeah, we should just forget about them and make better lives for ourselves." Hinata said.

"Yeah but that's easier said than done." Ino said.

She sighed out. The words that Ino said were true. It was much easier to say that they were gonna completely forget about the guys and move on than actually doing it. She looked up at the sky and then at the watch on her wrist.

"Oh man, we have fifteen minutes before we go have classes again." She said as she finished off her sandwich and was close to doing so to her soda.

"Oh man, I've got to go." Yayuki said as she got up in a hurry and began to pack up her stuff.

"We're you going?" Ino asked.

"I promised Miomi that I'd meet him before class started again. I almost completely forgot." The girl drunk all of her coffee in one large slurp and then she let out a small burp. "Excuse me." She said. She placed her food wrappings on her plate and then placed her backpack on her hand where the strap went over to her shoulder. "I'll see you girls later." She said as she grabbed the tray and left, giving them a small wave and a smile.

Sakura finished off her food and then began to throw it away as well. She stacked all of her wrappers and cups on her tray and then stood up to throw it away. She walked over to the large blue trash can and dumped her food and then placed the tray on the top.

"Hello beautiful." He heard.

She smiled as she turned around and looked at Atsushi. He was smiling at her with that smile that always made her heart swell with just a little bit of joy.

"Atsushi, how's it going? I haven't seen you all day." She said.

"I've been so busy with class. Man, it's a lot harder than it seems. How was your day?" he asked.

She began walking back to the table where the girls were and he followed suit. She had to admit that his presence made her so much happier. It also blocked out all of those stormy Sasuke rain clouds in her mind and replaced them with bright Atsushi sunshine; which was exactly what she needed.

"Good, hard, a bit annoying but better now." she said.

"And why is that?" he asked.

He got closer to her and laced his fingers with her. She felt the heat of his skin on hers and couldn't help but want to get so much closer to him. To just hold him and fall asleep next to him with that warm fuzzy feeling all over her body.

"Because now you're here." She said softly.

She leaned her head in on his arm and he did the same with hers. She could see the girls looking at them with cheesy grins on their faces. She blushed a bit but forgot about is when Atsushi released her hand and placed his arm around her shoulder.

"Hey there girls." he said as they finally reached the table and both of them took a seat. Atsushi set his backpack down on the ground next to Sakura.

"Atsushi, hi, how nice to see you again." Tenten said.

"Nice to see you too Tenten, and of course it's always nice to see you two also Hinata and Ino." He said. He was a smart guy, addressing all three of them at the same time, knowing perfectly well how annoyed Ino would get if he made her seem less important.

"Smart boy." Ino said with a teasing smile. "I thought that you would've forgotten about what happened last time you didn't greet me properly." She said.

"I could never forget." He answered. "Especially since you clearly gave me an earful." He said.

Ino gave him a playful glare and he laughed. Oh god did she love his laugh. It made everything seem so much brighter in the world. Hell, it even made her forget about all the crap that was going on in her life at the moment. It was a drug… and she was hooked.

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Physiology, a class that focuses on the branch of biology dealing with the functions and activities of living organisms and their parts, including all physical and chemical processes a.k.a one of the hardest classes that the college had to offer.

The teacher, Mrs. Nakayama, had already caught the attention of many of the teenage boys there. Through lunch, she heard many males talk about how hot the Physiology teacher was and what they would do to her if she weren't married. Of course if they did manage to do anything, it wouldn't be against the law because all the students in the college were legal.

She shook her head; she didn't even know why she was thinking that. Who cares if the males at the college are lusting after her? As long as one of them isn't her boyfriend, then she's okay with it.

"Now then, pheromones play a big part when animals choose a mate. Of course, most animals use something that would be considered an aphrodisiac in their viewpoint." She held up a vial filled with purple liquid. "Watch as I use this to attract a little bird." She took the vial in her hand and an eyedropper. She went over to a window and opened it, placing the eyedropper in the vial; she took in a little and then rubbed it on her white glove. Then she stuck her hand out the window and in a matter of seconds, a little bird had landed on her wrist. "As you can see, the female Bluebird is clearly attracted to this specific scent."

She wrote down what she just witnessed in her notebook. While it may be one of the hardest classes there, it was also the most interesting one to be in. she couldn't believe how one tiny drop of purple liquid managed to lure a Bluebird into the classroom.

Mrs. Nakayama let the bird go and then closed up the window. Taking off the glove, she placed it in a quarantine box like they did with used shots in the hospital and then went back to write something on the board.

"This is one of the major components used in pheromones. You will need to know this for future reference." She finished writing down the formula just as the bell rung.

She quickly jotted it down and then began to pack up her stuff. Closing her notebook and putting the pen that she used in the wires, she stuffed it in her backpack and then held the large book in her hand. With it placed under her elbow, she began to walk out of the classroom and to her final class of the day.

She was so glad that the school day was almost over. It was 4:00pm and she wasn't used to being in school at this hour. Usually by now, she would be at home just hanging out with the girls. But being a college girl required a lot of adaption and this was one of them. Feeling a bit tried, she stopped at a vending machine to buy herself a bottle of water to keep herself refreshed. She pulled a dollar out of her left pocket –she kept her money there for easy access- and then entered it into the slot. Below it she added the remaining $0.75 necessary to make her purchase.

She pressed the button with the picture of the Dasani water bottle on it. There were sounds signifying that the machine was getting her water and then the thump happened and she bent over to grab the bottle. Twisting the cap open once it was firmly in her grip –and placing her book in her backpack for the first time- she held the cap and then brought the bottle to her lips. Taking the liquid in large gulps, she finally stopped and breathed out a breath of fresh air.

"Man I needed that." she said to herself.

She placed the cap back on and continued on her way to her final class. The every final class for the college was an elective. On the day of enrollment, students would choose their classes and pick an extra one that would count for the last class of the day. She had chosen one that she knew she would have fun in and really get into; cooking.

She really needed to learn how to cook. She doubts that if she ever gets married, she'd be able to keep her husband by feeding him nothing but junk food and ice cream because she never learned how to properly cook. And the last thing she wanted was to be filing for a divorce after a month or two of marriage because that would just be sad.

She arrived at the class; it took her a good three minutes because of how far it was from her last class. She entered through the wooden door and then immediately took a seat at the very front of the class. She remembered when she hated to be up front where everyone could see her. She had been such an awkward teenager in high school but it was already her first day of college and she found out that it does get better after high school.

She placed her bag in between her feet and took a seat on the round stool there. She had her water bottle on the table and took the extra time before the teacher would arrive to study the room.

It was white, with glossy white walls and lamps on the ceiling. The kitchen utensils that they would be using seemed to be all stainless steel. The wall on her right held a row of ovens with two different compartments in it. Behind her, at the very end of the room, there was a long wooden table that held mixers and other things that they would need. There was of course one main oven at the front of the class along with other things that the teacher would use to show them what they had to do. On the desk, the one that she was currently seated at and on the other student's desks, there was a cookbook that was nailed down with steel bolts and held laminated pages. She flipped through it and instantly found a few that she would love to try.

"Hello class," a cheery woman with black hair wrapped up into a bun on her head and wearing a plain red dress walked in. She placed her stuff on the desk and then looked at everyone with a cheery smile. "My name is Ms. Ando and I will be your cooking class teacher."

Ms. Ando smiled and she smiled as well. She could already tell that she would like this class. The teacher seemed like a nice person –maybe even a pushover- and the atmosphere that she brought to the room reminded her of home.

"Now, for today's lesson, we will be learning how to prepare a basic salad." She said.

'A salad… easy as pie.' She thought in her mind.

"Now everyone please wash your hands in the sinks on the left wall and then put on an apron and grab your bowls." Ms. Ando was beginning to put on her apron as well and then began to wash her hands.

She stood from her seat along with other students and then her attention turned to door as it opened. She couldn't believe who had just walked in. Of all the people in the world who it could've been… it had to be her. The girl took a look around the room and her eyes landed on her. She gained a devious look in her eyes and then began walking over to her.

"Sorry I'm late teacher. I was a bit caught up with someone." She didn't like the tone in her voice.

"It's alright sweetheart, just pick a seat, wash your hand, put on an apron and grab a bowl." Ms. Ando said.

"Yeah, okay."

The girl chose the empty seat next to her –the desk fit two people each- and then stared at her as she placed her stuff down and looked at her.

"Good to see you again." She said with attitude.

"Uh… you too." She said.

"What was our name again girly?" she asked.

"Sakura." She responded.

"Right, right, Sakura." Ami turned around and began heading over to the sink. Sakura followed and took the one next to her and securely washed her hands before drying them, and beginning to put on an apron. She watched from the corner of her eye as Ami washed her hands by just splashing water on and then rubbing them together. The numerous bracelets on her hand jingled as she did so.

Sakura grabbed the hair tie that she always kept around her bracelet for whenever she felt like tying her hair up. Not wanting to get any of her pink hair into the food, she tied it up into a high ponytail –even though she had it pulled back by the headband that she wore- which actually looked like she took the time to get the perfect count of unruly in it to make it look good. She went over to the desk and abundant number of shelves at the back of the room where she grabbed a steel bowl –all the cooking material there was stainless steel- and went back to sit in at her desk.

"Ugh, this apron totally ruins my outfit." Ami sat in the chair next to her and Sakura took a look at her outfit. She wore a tight tan skirt that reached her thigh and had a large slit in it to show off some, more like a lot of the skin that was supposed to be covered by the skirt. She had on a pair of dark purple flats –Ino would cringe at this lack of color coordination- and a black tube top that should be worn with a jacket, but wasn't. One her arm was a rose tattoo –probably meant to make her look sexy. The bracelets on her hand were large gold, and her lightened hair was pulled up into two high ponytails that made her look school-girl-ish. She had on a lot of jewelry that should be under the white apron but wasn't. As a matter of fact, so should the bracelets, they should be off as well.

"Um Ami," she started. She was gonna tell her so that she won't fail the class for wearing safety hazards. "Maybe you should take off the bracelets and hide the necklaces under the apron?" she asked.

Ami looked at her from examining her large plastic nails as if they were real. Sakura knew that they weren't. Ino had shown her how to spot everything fake on a person and when it came to nails, she used Yayuki's as an example which were long and real. She had to admit, she was trying to grow her own nails that long.

"What?" the girl asked. Her heavily made-up face contorted into one that showed her obvious displeasure.

"I said-"

"I know what you said." Ami had such an attitude on her. She was like an alligator, ready to snap any second. "I'm just wondering why YOU'RE trying to tell ME what to do." she added emphasis to the two words to add to her angry emotions.

Sakura rolled her eyes. She bets that if she looked the word 'diva' up in the dictionary, Ami's picture would be right there. Because honestly, she was such a complete diva.

"Never mind." She muttered. She didn't want to cause a scene in the class. And if she did, Ami would surely tell Sasuke and then he would assume that she snapped at his girlfriend because she was jealous of the fact that they were now together. And she was not about to have that happen, not one bit.

"Alright, everyone got your bowls?" Ms. Ando asked.

The class shook their heads as she looked at everyone to make sure that there was a bowl in front of them. Happy with the results, she to the fridge besides the whiteboard that was placed there to write down assignments and what-not and grabbed a few fresh vegetables from inside it. She placed them on the desk, in the built-in sink and then looked at her class.

"For the salad, you will be needing to get lettuce –choose as many types as you find necessary- as well as some vegetables from your choosing and a knife, cut board, vegetable brush and some a fork for sampling. Remember to wash all of your instruments in the sinks before bringing them to your table." Ms. Ando said.

Sakura was excited. She got up to go to the back of the room that held all of the stuff. There was a large fridge in the middle of the long table where the bowls and things were placed that held all of the food that they would be using. She first grabbed the necessary utensils, finding it easy to select the ones that she felt like would work the best. Then she went back to the sinks to wash them. She felt like she did a tremendous job and after soaking them in hot water, she brought them to the table. She was glad that her backpack was placed to the side because she didn't want it to get wet. She went back over to the fridge and had the vegetable brush hanging from her wrist using the strap that had been placed there. It was already open because other students were selecting their vegetables as well and she looked upon the large selection.

'What to use, what to use.' She thought while tapping her finger against her chin.

Her eyes brightened as she got the iceberg lettuce along with some green and red peppers, olives, tomatoes, and –for that surprising flavor- a lemon to add that certain tinge to it. She was making it just like her mother always would. She had the ingredients in her hand and went over to the sink to wash them. Using the brush, she rubbed it all over the different foods that she brought until she knew that they were clean. She then took them over to the table as the sink turned off automatically. In a class that involved using hands a lot, the school kept most things sterile by making sure that they work automatically, like the sink, soap dispenser, and even the fridge that opened whenever someone reached for the handle.

She sat back down on the stool, all her supplies on the desk and looked up at Ms. Ando who had just finished washing her supplies and smiled at her before she went over to her.

"Nice ingredient choice." The teacher complimented looking over the things that she had picked out. "A lemon, how odd, I bet it'll give it a unique taste huh?" she asked.

"Yeah, my mom always adds lemon to it and it tastes amazing." She said.

"So you're going by your mother's recipe. What a smart thing to do. Most students try out new things and most end up getting it wrong. I usually end up failing them. But I doubt that I'll be doing that to you." Ms. Ando said. Sakura smiled at her, she had to be the best teacher here. And she was glad that she had her for the end of the day class, otherwise she'd probably be in a sour mood. "What's your name?" Ms. Ando asked.

"Sakura, Haruno Sakura." She responded.

"Well Sakura, I can tell that you and I are going to get along fine." Ms. Ando said as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Me too." She responded.

Ms. Ando left her side, but not before giving her another bright smile. She heard the chair next to her swivel and looked as Mai sat there. Her choices were odd. Lettuce –nothing wrong there-, along with horse radish, strawberries, bananas, tomato, extra virgin olive oil and broccoli. What type of salad was she making?

She didn't comment on her choices though, feeling that Ami would once again snap at her for just expressing her opinion. She just kept her mouth shut and waited for the last of the class to sit down so that Ms. Ando could continue with the class.

"Now that everyone's got their things to make their salads, let's start. First pick up the type of lettuce or lettuces that you chose and start to tear off the leaves. Be careful not to pull too tight or they'll snap." She said as she demonstrated with the regular lettuce that she chose. She tore the leaves off one by one using a slight tug.

Sakura followed and did the same with hers. She tugged lightly around the edges of it and then felt happy when she managed to tear off a good amount with making any mistakes.

"Come on you stupid leaf, come," Ami pulled hard on the leaf and then Sakura watched as it tore in two, making it useless for the salad. "Off! Ugh!" she let out her frustrated vocabulary causing Ms. Ando to call he rout in class.

"Don't use that type of language in this class. I don't care if you use it outside the classroom but not in here." Sakura was surprised that Ms. Ando had that side to her. Her happy smile was gone and her eyes were close to glaring. She was wrong, Ms. Ando certainly wasn't a pushover and seemed like she could be mean and tough when she wanted.

"Oh don't get your panties in a twist teach, I was just upset at the fact that these stupid leaves keep tearing." Ami said.

"Maybe because you're not doing what I said. I said to pull carefully, not like you're trying to lift 100 pounds."

Sakura let out a stifled giggle. She had her hand over her mouth to keep from bursting out into laughter. It seemed like the others in the class felt that way too because she kept hearing abrupt laughter that would later on die out into snickers. She looked at Ami who seemed to be ready to kill her now favorite teacher.

"Hmph." She said before she looked down and continued trying to tear the leaves. Sakura looked back up at Ms. Ando who had a delighted smirk on her face when she saw that Ami kept tearing the leaves. "Dammit!" she called out.

"Watch the language." Ms. Ando said in a teasing way.

Oh yes, she was definitely going to like this class.

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"It was so hilarious, she looked like she was about to throw up after she tasted Ami's salad." Sakura was retelling Ino what had gone down in her cooking class.

"No way, was it seriously that bad?" Ino asked.

They were in their dorm room and Ino sat down on one of the beanbag chairs that they had there in one of the free corners for relaxing. They both had drinks in their hands and a bag of chips in between them. Their backpacks were on the bed and Karin still wasn't back.

"Please, I tasted it and I'm just happy to be alive at the moment." Sakura said.

Ino let out a long stream of laughter before Sakura joined in as well. Their hysterics filled the room and even a few tears were sliding down their eyes. Ino pounded the floor with her hand and Sakura was kicking her feet up in the air.

"Oh man, I can't wait to see the look on Sasuke's face whenever she tries feed him something that she made." Ino said.

"I bet he'll spit it out the second it touches his lips." She joked in as well.

Cooking had really brought up her mood. She could still see the look of utter anger on Ami's face when Ms. Ando spit out her salad in a nearby trash can and actually began brushing her tongue with the vegetable brush. Then the teacher had chewed her out for making something that she be labeled, as she put it, 'A poison because while most meals aren't edible, at least they can't kill you!'Ami had angrily taken off the apron and stormed out of the classroom in a mix-match flurry. Then Ms. Ando had taken a bite of her salad and said that it was absolutely perfect and had managed to get rid of the taste of Ami's salad in her mouth. Needless to say that she had felt extreme joy and pride after that was said.

"So, then what happened?" Ino asked after they stopped laughing like complete lunatics.

"Well, after she left, most of the kids in the class came up to try both hers and mine. They complimented me and asked if I could make some the next time the school has a special outdoor event or something." She said.

"Alright Sakura, looks like you've got a few admirers." Ino said after she took another sip of her Pepsi.

She giggled. "Thanks Ino, hey, I brought some left-over salad with me. Wanna try it?" she asked.

"Well yeah, I mean with all the good reviews that you got, I'm surprised that you even have any left." Ino said as they both placed their drinks down and got off of the beanbag chairs. Sakura got her backpack and opened it up to pull out a plastic container that held the delectable meal. She opened the lid and stuck it to the bottom of the container, and then she handed it to the blonde along with a plastic fork that she got from class. Ino took some in her mouth and then chewed. "Oh my god Sakura," she started after she ate another mouthful of it. "This is the best salad ever." She said.

"Thanks Ino, it's my mom's recipe." She said.

"I don't think so, I've tasted your mom's salad and this," she paused to take in some more. "This tastes way better than that."

"Well I did add some black pepper to it so I guess that it would taste a bit differently." She said.

"And thank god you did too. Mmm, it's so good." Ino kept consuming large amounts of it and then, deciding that she had had enough, Sakura reached to take it away from her friend just to have Ino twist her body to the side to keep it from her reach. "No!" she wailed after swallowing.

"Come on Ino, give it, I have to save some for the others." She said. She wanted to let Hinata, Yayuki, Tenten and especially Atsushi try out her food.

"No way, I'm your best friend, so I should have all of it." Ino said trying to convince Sakura to let her finish it off.

"But they're my best friends too." She countered.

"No!" Ino wailed again.

The blonde got off the bed and began to run around the room away from the angry Sakura chasing her. She really wanted to finish off the delicious salad. But of course, an angry Sakura was determined Sakura and that meant that she was currently hell-bent on saving some of it for her boyfriend and remaining three best friends.

Ino ran out of the room, Sakura ran after her and the door closed on its own.

"Hive it up Ino!" she shouted.

"Never!" Ino shouted back at her followed by a maniacal laugh that made all of the bystanders look at her like she was crazy.

The rounded a corner and then Ino turned left again. Sakura followed her but was stopped by coming into a heavy impact with someone. She and the mystery person both fell on the ground and this made Ino look back after hearing the thumps.

"Sakura, oh Sakura are you alright?" she asked as she went over to her friend. Closing the salad up and placing the fork inside as well, she helped Sakura up and began to check for any injuries. She may like the food but her friends always came first.

"I'm fine Ino." Sakura said as Ino released her arms allowing her to wipe off some of the invisible dirt on her clothes. She then looked up and spotted the person who she bumped into. "Sasuke, what are you doing here?" she asked.

The Uchiha male got up from his position on the floor. Sakura may be a small girl but when she came full force, it was enough to knock you down. He looked up at her and that feeling came over him again. Oh man how he wished he could touch her flawless face. She was wearing some pink shorts and a purple shirt. Her hair was loose rambunctious strands were all over her face. There was slight sweat on her forehead due to all the running but she smelt squeaky clean.

"Hi." He said to both her and Ino, who stood next her looking as confused as she was.

"What are you doing here, in the girls' dorm?" she asked.

Not responding, he decided to smirk at her and let her interpret it any way that she wanted. She began to glare at her and so did Ino.

"You're such a pig." She commented.

"No, I'm a male." He said.

"What's the difference?" she asked with a slight snobby attitude to it. Damn, she looked hot. She then looked at Ino. "Ino, you can have the salad if you want, now go back to the dorm before something happens." She said. Ino nodded and after sending him a disgusted look, she turned the corner again and headed for their dorm. This left him and Sakura alone. Perfect.

"We're more intelligent and better looking. Plus we don't smell and lie around in mud all day." He said.

"Not necessarily, I've met plenty of males who do have those qualifications." She said.

"As I have met females like that as well. You forget Sakura; a female is just a male with a different bone structure and a few extra parts." He said.

She began to glare at him and then sighed out. She pulled part of her hair behind her ear, exposing most of her neck to him. He remembered when her pretty neck was host to all of the hickies that he used to leave there. He wished that there was one of his hickies there right now but was much happier that there weren't any there left by that guy that she was currently dating.

"Whatever Uchiha, now if you excuse me, I have to rest up for class tomorrow." She turned to leave. He didn't want her to leave just yet. He wanted her to stay longer so that he could look at her face and features for as long as he wanted. So In a desperate attempt to keep her there with him, he reached out and grabbed her wrist before she could take another step further. "Hey, let go of me Uchiha." She said.

She felt her skin heat up at the sudden contact. Why was it that whenever he touched her, she would get the urge to just kiss him all over? And that was the exact same urge that she was fighting at the moment. She didn't want to be stuck on Sasuke. She felt like a bird in a cage that wanted to be set free.

"Sakura," he said huskily. Oh man, why did he have to use that tone? He moved closer to her and she found herself completely paralyzed. She tried moving her legs, but they felt like cinder blocks had been attached to the bottom. He had his hand placed on her chin and she looked up into his mysterious dark eyes.

His face began coming in closer to hers. Her mind became hazy when the cologne that wore finally hit her nose. It smelt absolutely delicious. And as his face came closer, his lips just mere centimeters from hers, her eyes started to close out of instinct and…

She pushed him back.

She looked at Sasuke's shocked expression. She was beginning to breathe out of her mouth, trying to get her hormones to stop rushing. She gulped down some saliva and then set a glare to him.

"Don't touch me, and certainly don't try to kiss me." she gripped her fingers into a fist at the side of her hips. "Who the hell do you think I am Uchiha, some sort of puppet where you pull the strings? I don't think so. I'm not a whore either and if you think that I'll give into you just because of your looks and our history, you've got another thing coming. Now do me a favor and get out of my sight." She snarled at him.

Sasuke stayed quiet, but then soon glared at her and walked past her to leave. His hand brushed up against hers and she almost crumbled at his touch. His cologne still stayed in the air and she inhaled deep amounts of it. Then she looked behind her at his shrinking from. She was glad that she didn't end up kissing him, but the reason why was enough to give her more determination in breaking out of that cage.

He had a hickey on the side of his neck, given to him by Ami. She managed to see it when he came in closer and she got a better view at his neck. It was large, and her red lipstick was still on it. She couldn't possibly kiss him after knowing that he had kissed her. That and she wasn't about to cheat on Atsushi. He was a great guy and made an even better boyfriend.

He was her key to freedom.

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So, was this chapter worth the wait or what? I'm so glad that I managed to add in all couples, keep the main one, and even give it a little bit of perverted-ness. I know that some of you were hoping that he'd end up kissing her, making her think about her current relationship with him and Atsushi but that won't come until later. Like I've said before, they need time to grow and really start to think about everything that they do and handle things. Oh yeah, and I've finally decided upon when letting them to hook-up. It's a very special event that won't happen until like the end of the story. What will this event be, feel free to tell me what you think. Also, what do you think about the new cast of teachers that I've added and the teaching situations. I've come up with a few minor events that will completely shape this story that will leave your minds in shock. I forgot to add in a few more teachers, but that won't be until later on, like maybe in the next chapter I'll introduce like one or two more. Anyways, I hope that you enjoyed reading this and please review!

Xoxoxo Chibi Star Vamp


	6. Bet You Regret It Now

Hiya ya'll! Sorry if that sounded too Western but, in the words of Hitomi, whatever. Now, as some of you may have known, I've already published my new story 'Animetra Princess', and yes, it is the Yayuki and Hitomi fic that I have been shamelessly promoting. Now, can all of you who read this, do me a tiny, tiny favor and check it out for me? I worked really, really hard for it and I want to see how I did. Now, it may be confusing at first, but if you stay with it until like the third chapter, it'll all come into play perfectly. Okay then, back to this story. I cannot believe how many reviews I have for this one, and it's only the sixth chapter. If you keep it up, you'll beat my other story 'Seductress Assassins' in about five or more votes. Currently, my top-rated one is 'Kiss of Death' with an astounding 51 reviews. And I want to see if you all have the moxie to make this one number one, you are racing with 'Bracelets' which is very close to this review count. Now with that in mind, in the words of Mario –I seem to be quoting a lot of characters today- here we go!

Disclaimer: I only own the plot, the old story leading to this sequel and my own characters. Everything else belongs to the creator of Naruto who needs to add some Sasuke and Sakura fluff in her stories! But not too much, I mean, it is Sasuke.

Reviews

Tennis Barbie- do you know how long I've wanted to write an office affair fic using these characters? Like… FOREVER! But I always get so side-tracked by my other projects that I never get a chance to do so. Although, if this story reached 50 reviews, I'll actually do it, but only when it reaches 50, if it goes past that… thank you. As for the drama, don't worry, drama makes for sexual frustration which eventually leads to flirting, sex, the official hook-up and… a wedding! At least in my opinion it does. And yes, it will be adding a few flirtatious scenes, like I said in the last chapter; I am going to be perverted. You've all been warned.

sakura-cherrytree- thank you and I will. I shall never give up on this one; it's WAY too fun to write.

rocky1980- why thanks, I guess being slightly perverted has it's up-sides. I'm also glad that you're hooked on reading cause I'm kinda hooked on writing. Let's just hope we don't end up in rehab for being hooked on it. Lol smiley face, I mean lol .

Sasukeuchiha1101- I so didn't see the similarities in their names. But whatever, it'll be funny when people confuse the two. Yeah, Minato was a nice touch; you'll learn the rest of the teachers today with an extra surprise of who one of them is. Yep, Sasuke should suffer, you know, to see the error of his ways. And as for what Hitomi was drawing, yeah, it was her. He does that a lot, kinda like an artist in secrecy. Wow, you had a lot to say, I loved reading your review, it has become one of my favorites. I'm glad that you agreed with everything that I wrote down. Hope you LOVE what I write down now.

Enjoy!

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One week later

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The sun cast a glorious glow upon the land. It slowly, slowly descended and the time changed. The bell rang through the air, piercing it, and stopping all forms of conversation in the classroom. Everyone looked up at the clock and saw that it was already 5 o'clock. A lot of them smiled, happy that the day was over and they could now go back to their dorms and relax. Others weren't looking forward to it because of all the homework that they would have to do.

"Alright, I guess I'll see you all tomorrow." Said Ms. Ando as the sound of screeching chairs hit her ears. She began to pack up as well.

"Bye Ms. Ando." She looked up to see that Sakura had been the one to call out to her.

"Oh, good-bye Sakura, great dish by the way. You surprise more and more each time." she looked up at her favorite student.

Sakura blushed. Today in class they had made bread. Her bread came out perfect, and everyone took a slice. But while many succeeded, one failed. When Ami made her dish, she saw that Ms. Ando had made a silent prayer before eating it. Then when the woman took a small bite and swallowed, she immediately ran to the nearest sink and threw up. Oh yeah, Ami was definitely a horrible cook.

"Thank you." She said to her favorite teacher. She had easily become the teacher's pet in the week's time that she had been in the class. She didn't mind, she liked being honored for her great skill. But others –Ami- didn't like it. "Bye!" she said one final time, then she walked through the classroom door and started heading towards the door that led to the stairwell that led out of the college.

On her way down, she passed several kids. They each gave her a small smile and being as nice as she was, she smiled back at them. They had all been kids who were in her Cooking Class or one of their friends. It seems like almost everyone knows about her cooking skills now. It was slightly overwhelming because while they may know her, she doesn't exactly know them. She turned a corner and regretted it when she saw who was walking down the halls. Sasuke made eye contact with her and stopped in front of her.

"Sakura." He said in his usual tone.

"Uchiha." She muttered.

Sasuke could feel the cold aura around her. usually he's the one who gives off that type of aura but lately, his has been wearing thin while Sakura's has been growing. But it wasn't her fault. While he wanted to be with her again each passing day, she was still content on having nothing to do with him or one of his stupid friends, as she has put it before.

"Sakura, please, can we just talk about this?" he asked her gently. He reached out to touch her and she took a step back.

"I have absolutely nothing to talk to you about Sasuke. Now please, move out of the way so I can make it to my car. In fact, what are you even doing going this way?" it was odd. He did drive his car to school just like her and he was going in the opposite direction.

"I'm walking Ami from class." He confessed.

"Oh, I see, the little princess needs her prince with her at all times." she said. She still couldn't believe that he was going out with a girl that was –and she couldn't believe that she was admitting this- worst than Karin. At least Karin knew how to give Sasuke space once in a while, but Ami… it's like she's a slug that's attached herself to him.

He noticed her harsh tone. He wished that it was a jealous one instead, because then he'd know that his was going out with Ami was actually worth it; because he's had to put up with a lot of crap from that girl. She's practically trying every trick in the book to try and get him to have sex with her. But he didn't want to. He'd be a lot happier if the girl he slept with was Sakura.

"Hn, are you by any means jealous, Sa-ku-ra?" he spread out her name in a way that he knew she liked. He saw her inhale deeply. She was fighting back, can't she just give in?

"Me, jealous, has that leach sucked out your brains too Uchiha?" she didn't want to imagine what she might have already sucked. It was disturbing. "Why would I be jealous about the two of you? If you haven't noticed, I'm perfectly happy with my own boyfriend." She said proudly and with a smile on her face.

Sasuke began to glare at her. How could she even imply that he and Ami have done something? But of course, he could use it to his advantage. So he smirked at her. "Believe me Sakura, she hasn't sucked anywhere near my brain. And as for your boyfriend, maybe you should open your eyes and see what he's truly like?" he leaned in more near her ear and he saw her stiffen. "You might be surprised." He placed a kiss on her neck and then walked away, happy with what he had done.

Sakura stood there in the hallway. Not moving, not thinking, maybe not even breathing. She took in a deep breath and then let it go. Why had she allowed him to do that to her? was it because she was in so much shock of what he had said that she didn't register it in her mind when he had gotten so close? Or maybe, just maybe, she wanted him to be close? No, no, no! She furiously shook her head and started walking towards the stairwell. She did not want him close; she wanted him far, far away like in that Shrek movie. She doesn't need his touches, caresses and certainly not his kisses.

She touched her neck where he had kissed; the feel of his lips still there. She shivered as she felt the goose-bumps that had formed. How is it that he still has that affect on her body? They've been separated for almost six months now and her body still craves for him. She really has to get rid of that urge, and soon before she starts calling Atsushi 'Sasuke' whenever he kisses her there. Oh how embarrassing.

She started climbing done the three flights of stairs. Around her, other students went down as well and she was a bit surprised when one of them grabbed her arm.

"Hey let g– oh, hey Ino." She said as she looked at her blonde best friends.

"Hey Sakura, guess what." Ino said. They got off the first flight and turned around and began to go down the second flight.

"What?" she asked.

"Guess." Ino said. There was a bright smile on her face and a mischievous look in her eyes.

"Ugh, let me think." She looked up towards the ceiling as she thought. They turned again and headed down the last flight. "Does it have something to do with the girls?"

"Nope, guess again." Ino said, the smile getting brighter.

"Atsushi?" they got off the flight of stairs and started walking towards the back of the school where the Student Parking Lot was.

"Nu-uh, keep guessing." Ino said. The smile got wider; she never even thought that that was possible.

"I don't know, just tell me Ino." She said. She was getting rather tired of guessing and she felt Ino squeeze her arm.

"It has to do with one of my teachers." Ino said as they made it to the door and started heading towards Sakura's car which was parked in the last spot on the right in the third row. So yeah, it was a long walk and that allowed Ino more time to talk.

"What, did you figure out which one was your favorite, did the one you hate get fired, did one of them give you a perfect score?" Sakura asked listing things that would make her happy.

"No, no and no. It has to do with the arrival of my English teacher." Ino said. She let go of Sakura's arms and crossed hers over her chest and had a dreamy look in her eyes.

"What about?" Sakura asked, curious as to why her best friend was acting like this.

"He's so hot." Ino said as she finally turned towards her and then let out a giggle. Sakura raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh come on Ino, how hot can your teacher be?" she asked. They were half-way to her car and the sun shun down brightly on them. She covered her eyes with her hands as she looked ahead and then back at her friend.

"Worthy of being a Greek God; which we happened to talk about today. It's in this book that we're being assigned to read. It has to do with Greek Mythology. I have to read the first 50 pages as homework." Ino's face dulled down before it brightened up again. "But it'll be worth it to hear him praise me when I answer all the questions that he's bound to ask tomorrow."

Sakura couldn't' believe it. That's all it took to get Ino to read a book? A hot teacher? Man, had they found out earlier, Tsunade probably wouldn't replaced every teacher in their High School with a hot, young one. And it was an even bigger surprise at how many pages she had to read, but Ino seemed so happy about it.

"I'm already up to page 10, and I gotta say, it's a little boring, but like I said before, it'll be worth it." Ino piped up as they finally reached her car.

"Wow Ino, I'm impressed." She said as she un-locked the car and opened the door in her backpack to throw her backpack in. "Who would've thought that you'd actually read a book just to impress and older guy." She threw her backpack in, Ino did the same. Then she closed the door and opened the one to the driver's seat while Ino went over to her side and did the same.

"Whatever forehead, if you saw him, you'd know why." Ino said they were about to get in when Ino all of a sudden let out a small scream. "Oh my god, there he is." She pointed towards someone behind her and Sakura turned around to see what her friend's English teacher at the school looked like.

She couldn't believe it. He was a hot teacher. He had dark black, black hair tinted with jet blue. His locks were spiky and framed his face so well. He wore a white shirt with a black suit, the jacket was open, a tie, and had a backpack slung over his shoulder. He had the most amazing blue eyes that he had ever seen. They could put the sky to shame. He stopped at a dark blue Lexus LFA Sports Car. He pulled out his key and unlocked the car, he then went inside and for a few moments, their view of him was blocked. The engine burst alive, and he pulled out of the parking spot, he rolled down the window and they looked at him.

"Hi Mr. Suzuki." Ino said as she addressed her teacher.

"Yamanaka." Then he put on a pair of black shades and drove off. They, along with several other female students, watched as he left the Parking Lot.

Both girls were silent and then they turned to look at one another. Ino had a bright smile on her face, showing off all of her perfectly white teeth, while Sakura had a shocked look on her face. "So, did I tell you he was hot or did I tell you he was hot?" Ino asked.

"Oh my god Ino, the guy looks and acts like a student." She said with surprise in her voice. She had to admit, he was the hottest male teacher at the school. That, she would never deny. They both began to get inside her car and Sakura closed the door and began to strap herself in.

"Yeah, and get this, he's only 23-years-old!" Ino exclaimed.

She whipped her head quickly at her friend with a surprised look on her face. "No way?" she said in disbelief. She continued to strap on her seatbelt and waited until Ino was done with hers.

"Yeah, one of the girls in the class asked. I can't believe it, he's only a few years older than me." Ino said.

Sakura placed her key into the ignition and turned the car on. She kept it in park for a few seconds while she and Ino continued the conversation and she fixed the mirror. "Be careful Ino, you know the dangers of having the hots for a teacher." She turned the mirror so that she could see Ino's face for a few seconds.

"I know, I know Sakura, don't worry, I won't date him or anything, besides, as hot as he may be, I don't want any complications while I'm here. I just wanna get through these four years of college and start my business with absolutely no drama." Ino said in a serious tone.

"Good," Sakura turned the mirror away and fixed it so that she got a clear view of the people behind her. Then she put the car in drive and stepped on the gas pedal. "Glad to hear you say that Ino."

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She sighed out as she looked at the amount of work on her bed. She couldn't believe that her it was only the second week of college and she was already frustrated with the amount of work that she was given. And it all came from one class and one class only. She gained a frustrated look on her face as she picked up the packet that was supposed to be her homework for the day. Originally, it was supposed to just be two pages of questions to answer. But, since she had been correct and her teacher hated her, she was given three-times as much homework as anyone else in her class, thus landing her with a six page packet filled with over 60 questions to answer.

She placed it back down on top of the book. She didn't even know why her teacher hated her. She hadn't said or done anything to annoy her, except for coming to class late on the first day, but other than that, she's been a good student so far. She leaned back down on her bed. Her legs were still crossed and her arms were spread out. She groaned.

"This isn't fair." she said.

"What isn't fair?" she turned her head to see her roommate coming in. She closed the door, set her backpack down on her bed, and then went over to her. Her eyes scanned the amount of work on her bed, and they widened in shock. "Oh my god, Yayuki, why the hell do you have so much homework to do?" Minamo asked as she picked up the packet that Yayuki had recently set down.

"My teacher hates my guts." Now she was certain that Mrs. Nakayama hated her. The entire time that she's been in class, Mrs. Nakayama had done nothing but be mean to her and yet be so perfectly nice to Hitomi. She hated it that he was her favorite. Usually she's the teacher's favorite but it's seemed like the tables have turned.

"That's ridiculous." Minamo said as she flipped through the pages of the packet and was highly shocked at how difficult these questions seemed.

"Oh yeah, listen to this," Yayuki sat up in her bed once again and cleared a spot for Minamo to sit. The red head looked at her roommate and new friend. "I arrive to class early, and she scolds me for not giving her a break. I answer a question correctly and she says that I cheated and asked Hitomi for the answer, which I didn't. I compliment her on her outfit and she says that at least she has styles while I don't. Face it! She hates me." she said before sighing out and wiping at her eyes to keep the frustrated tears from falling down her face.

Minamo looked at Yayuki with a sad expression on her face. Oh my god, that sounds like stuff that she would've done if they were no longer enemies anymore. And it made her feel angry because one of her new friends was having trouble and there really wasn't anything that she could do. She didn't know how, but she and Yayuki have grown so close. They've shared a lot of stories and once even hung out an entire day on the weekends. They're friends now and have put their past behind them.

"Oh Yayuki," she said. She brought Yayuki into her body and held the girl as she silently cried. She felt Yayuki's grip on her shirt tighten and then loosen up as she pulled away and wiped the tears away from her eyes. "I wish that there was something that I could do, or maybe, I can."

"What?"Yayuki asked as she looked up at Minamo who had a thinking and smug look on her face.

"Well you see, Miomi has that class too, and he's actually doing very well in it, and he has it before you, so, he might have already finished the homework and can probably help you out. You should head over to his room immediately." She said.

Yayuki thought about it. She was right, if anything, she could ask for help from her boyfriend. She started to pack up her stuff. Minamo helped her and together they got rid of the mess on her bed and managed to get it all in her messenger bag. Yayuki stood up from the bed and quickly checked herself in her mirror. Her hair was in a braid once again, she really liked it like that. It hung over her shoulder. She had on a white spaghetti strap shirt and a pair of grey shorts. She had changed from her school outfit into that after she took her bath. She slipped into her grey flip flops and then grabbed her bag.

"Thanks again Minamo, come on Yuksi." She said. Her pup raised its head and went over to her master. She had her key around her neck, not taking it off. She opened the door to her room and Yuksi ran out and waited for her. "I'll see you in a few hours." Yayuki said as she waved good-bye and closed the door.

"Okay, bye!" Minamo exclaimed. When the door closed, she got off Yayuki's bed and went over to her own. She laid down on the bed and looked at the ceiling. She was so nervous at what she was gonna do today. She was gonna ask Yayuki if it was alright if she started to date Hitomi. Normally she wouldn't care what the girl thought but since they are friends now, and having Hitomi as a boyfriend would mean that Yayuki would have to deal with having them in their room a lot and… she just doesn't want any issues.

Yayuki started walking down the hallway. Yuksi kept moving from left to right but stayed very close to her. They turned a corner in the hallway and as she reached the door that connected both dormitories to the center building, a thought occurred in her head; didn't Hitomi share a dorm with Miomi? If she was gonna go see Miomi at his door then odds are that she was gonna see Hitomi as well.

"Oh no." she said aloud. She really wasn't up to seeing her ex-boyfriend and current boyfriend at the same time. Last time that happened was at the music shop and she so didn't want a repeat of that.

But knowing that she had no other choice, she walked through the door and started heading towards the other end of the building. She passed the lounge, a soda and snack machine, and a water fountain. Then she reached the door and started heading over to Miomi and Hitomi's dorm. Each step that she took seemed to make her legs heavier and heavier. It seems like she really wasn't up to visiting him. But then again, she was only going there to see her boyfriend. If he happens to be there, then so be it. She wasn't gonna let her mind get affected by his presence. There was a whimper and she looked down.

"Oh my goodness Yuksi, I'm so sorry." She removed her foot from her pet's tail. She had accidently steppe don it. Bending over to pick her pet up, she cradled the little thing in her arm. "I guess I didn't see where I was going, my bad." She ran her hand through her pet's fur as forgiveness, and Yuksi gently licked her face. "Thanks girl, that makes me feel better." She said. She turned a corner and could see the dorm. Taking in a deep breath and then letting it out, she stood in front of the door. "Here I go." she said. She raised her hand and knocked on the door; she may be is girlfriend, but she wasn't rude. "Miomi, open up, it's me, Yayuki." She stopped knocking and waited for a response. When none came, she gently placed her hand on the knob and saw that the door was unlocked. Opening it, she poked her head inside and then stepped in. "Miomi, you here?" she closed the door and the one to the bathroom opened. She watched as the person stepped out. She couldn't tell who it was, the person was drying their hair, but that didn't mean that she didn't blush when she saw that a white towel was the only thing covering the person. "M-miomi?" she asked nervously.

"Yayuki, what are you doing here?" Hitomi looked at the blushing girl. She had her pup in her hands, and then the wolf got out of her grip and went over to him. He leaned down to pick her up. "Hey Yuksi, I see you missed me." he said. Yuksi barked and then he set her down and watched as she went over to his bed to join a sleeping Hoto. Then he turned his attention back to Yayuki who was shifting her weight from foot-to-foot and was looking away from him. He smirked at this; she looked so cute when she was flustered.

"Um… err… is… is Miomi here?" she asked. He raised an eyebrow at her and she looked at him in the eyes. She wouldn't dare look at anywhere else, she might lose control.

"Does it look like he's here?" he asked with attitude. She crossed her arms and began to glare at him. He continued to smirk, such a cute, hot girl.

"Well forget it then, come on Yuksi, we're leaving." Yayuki said. She looked over at her pet who had gotten comfortable on Hitomi's bed with Hoto. She puffed out her cheeks in anger. Can her pet at least tell that can she wasn't happy being in that room, with a half-naked Hitomi, and wearing very little clothing? Apparently not, because Hoto just liked her face and Yuksi cuddled up closer to him.

"Doesn't look like Yuksi wants to go, why don't you stay a while Yayuki?" Hitomi said as he looked back over at the angry girl. He couldn't help but let his eyes roam her body over and over. Her legs were nice and tanned, they seemed almost glowing, and her dark hair really stood out. He was happy that she kept it long, it worked for her.

"Because I came here on important business and I obviously can't conduct that with you." She said.

"And what, might I ask, was this business that you came here for?" he leaned against the closet door and he saw her ponder on whether to tell him or not.

She moved all her weight to her left foot and then sighed out. Maybe she should tell him. He was the teacher's favorite now. Surely he has to know how to help her in her homework. But she just wasn't sure whether she should. What if… her hormones act up again and she kisses him? She hasn't kissed him yet but… it could still happen. Not that she wants it to, because she was perfectly happy kissing Miomi, although he's not as fun to kiss as Hitomi, no, wait… ugh! Whatever, if he can help her, then what type of idiot would she be if she didn't accept the help? A very dumb one.

"Hitomi," she said. She shifted her weight to her right foot as he looked up at her. Pervert was checking her out. "Could you possibly… maybe… ugh, help me with my Physiology homework?" she asked.

He hadn't expected her to ask that. "Yeah, why not, wait here while I get dressed." He was not about to pass up a chance to spend some time with her. Maybe, he could even make her want him again. He went over to one of his drawers and pulled out one of his sweatpants, a shirt and underwear. He then walked back in the bathroom and began to get dressed. He was gonna spend some quality time with his ex-girlfriend, and for a good cause too. He knew that Mrs. Nakayama didn't exactly like her. She kept picking on Yayuki in every class that they've had so far. He even saw how much homework she gave her, while he wasn't handed any at all. He doesn't like that teacher; she's too mean to the girl that he still cares for deeply.

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"Want some milk?" she asked the little kitten. The now 7-week-old kitty mewed in agreement and Hinata smiled. She set the little thing on her bed before she went over to the small three-drawer-chest on her side of the room, and opened the first one to reveal kitten supplies. She got the bottle that she sued to feed her, and then used some of the milk out of the min-fridge that each dorm was given. Closing the bottle, she went back over to her bed, picked up the kitten and began to feed him. "There you go Moon, eat up." she had named the kitten 'Moon' because she always loved the Moon and the white and grey fur reminded her of a close-up of the Moon that she had seen through a telescope.

"Yo Hinata, you in here?" Tenten walked in threw the door. The girl immediately collapsed onto the bean bag chair that she had conveniently placed near the door at the edge of her bed. Tenten had the bed near the door while she was given the one on the other side of the room. "Ah, there you are, I've been looking for you all over campus." Tenten said.

"Sorry Tenten, I had to rush here to check on Moon." She removed the bottle from the kitty's mouth and then placed it back on the drawer while she rubbed the kitten's fur. "I meant to call, but my phone died. I knew I should've charged it before class."

"Ah it's alright, I just came to tell you that tomorrow night, be ready, cause us five are gonna go and chill out for the first time in two weeks." Tenten moved aside some of her hair and then went to lie down on her bed. She grabbed a water bottle that she kept near her bed, and began to drink from it. "So don't make any plans for Saturday, as for Sunday… we all got work on Sunday." She closed the bottle and then removed the sweater that she had worn. Her spaghetti strap black shirt and dark purple bra came into view.

"Hm, don't worry, I'm gonna finish all my homework on Friday night anyways. Have you told the others?" she asked as she heard the little kitten let out a burp and she started to giggle a bit.

"Nope." Tenten said as if it were no big deal.

"Well, don't you think that you should tell them? I mean, if you tell them at the last minute, chances are that they won't be able to make it." she said trying to convince her friend to give the others heads up.

"I know Hinata, and don't worry, I will tell them, just not right now." Tenten got up from her bed and then walked over to the dresser that had all her shorts. She picked one out and then sat down on her bed as she began to remove her shoes and eventually, her slightly baggy pants. "Right now, I'm gonna do the loads of homework that I have, and then, I'm gonna go annoy the crap out of those three and go scope for my boy toy." She pulled down the pants, she was comfortable with being naked in front of her friends, but she still kept her underwear on.

Hinata laughed a little at Tenten. Oh man, she was gonna have some fun today. "Okay Tenten." she said. She got Moon and then placed him on the bed that she had placed for him on hers. It had a water-proof cushion and little walls around to keep him in. She set him down and then went over to her the edge of her bed to grab her own backpack. She had loads of homework to do herself.

"Man, the one thing I hate about this place, well, actually, two things that I hate about being in college is that your annoying cousin in here Hinata, no offense, and all the damn homework that we have to do." Tenten was currently opening up her Science textbook. It was bigger than the one in High School. Damn.

"I can't believe you're still not over him being here." Hinata said as she flipped to a fresh page in her notebook and began to write her name down in her neat and perfect cursive.

"Well so-rry, but I'm not exactly okay with my ex-boyfriend being here. And then his new attitude, ugh, it's so annoying." She opened up to the page that she had given a dog-ear and looked at the numbers of the questions that she had circle. Fifteen, that's ten questions too many.

"What do you mean by his new attitude?" she asked after she opened up her Trigonometry textbook. She had a good 20 math questions to answer currently and hand in tomorrow during class. She was just so happy that everything the teacher wrote down, she wrote down as well, and she even asked a few questions when she didn't understand.

"Oh my god, you mean you haven't noticed?" Tenten turned her head at Hinata in slight shock. She hasn't seen Neji's changes in his attitude? Hinata shook her head and she took in a breath and let it out before she started to vent. "You're cousin, Hinata, is one of the biggest playboys at this school now. All he does is flirt with the girls in class. In fact, today, in the halls, he had one caged in between his body before planting a kiss on her cheek and while he passed me, he winked and said, 'Hello beautiful'." She mocked Neji's voice. Remembering the incident in the hall, she looked away to hide the anger in her eyes. How could he do that? And right in front of her too?

"Hold on, we are talking about Neji right, my cousin Neji?" she asked. That didn't sound like the Neji she knew. Sure she hadn't seen him at all, only on the day of picnic when she went over to decline Naruto's offer at being her friend. But she didn't exactly talk to him, she just glanced at him.

"Yes, what other Neji do you know?" Tenten asked. Hinata shrugged. "Well, whatever, the point is that he's done nothing but flirt with girl after girl after girl, and it's beginning to get on my nerves." She wrote down the first question, the teacher insisted on writing down the question and answer, and then looked at the question.

"Why Tenten, you aren't perhaps, jealous, are you?" Hinata asked with a smug look on her face. Tenten shot her head over to her with a look of disgust and she held back her laughter.

"Me, jealous, why the hell would I be jealous about him flirting with a bunch of freshman whores? All I said was that it annoyed me, because he sits right next to me in Trigonometry and I can barely focus with the amount of giggling happening in the background whenever he sends a note, or a text, to one of those girls." she went back to reading the question and went through her textbook searching for the answer.

"Ri~ght." Hinata said. Tenten scoffed and Hinata didn't bother to hide her laughter. She liked the change that she had gone through over the summer. She was more confident now, doesn't ever stutter –unless it comes to a very cute guy- and she's not afraid to speak her mind, well she is a little, but who isn't afraid of doing that?

"Oh shut up Hinata, besides, how are things goin with you and Naruto?" Tenten was so desperate in changing the subject that she was forced to pull out the big guns, the ex-boyfriend bomb.

Hinata wrote down the fifth question, she was already so far. Trigonometry just might be the easiest class out there. "Things are fine. He's still acting up in class, and… a lot of girls seem to like that."

"Oh really, and tell me Ms. Hyuuga, doesn't it bother you that so many eligible girls are practically drooling over your ex-boyfriend, and one of them, might I add, just so happens to be your co-worker who now practically owns him?" she raised an eyebrow as she looked over at Hinata who was quiet.

"No… it doesn't bother me at all." she responded.

"Mhm."

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* * *

"Hey teme, where've you been?" Sasuke walked into his room and was annoyingly greeted by Naruto he slammed the door behind him and immediately headed over to the bathroom. He needed to get the heavy scent of her perfume off of him.

"None of your business dobe." He said. He took off his shirt and placed it in the laundry hamper. He and Naruto had come to an agreement that neither one would do each other's laundry so they had their separate hampers. His was black and red. The collar was smothered with her red lipstick. Goddamn, can't she learn to kiss without smothering her lipstick all over him?

"I see, you were with Ami again, man, how can you stand to be with a chick that slutty?" Naruto stood at the front of the bathroom door, leaning against the wood.

Sasuke brushed his hair and then sprayed himself with some of his guy cologne. It would get the scent of her off of him before he took a shower in a few hours. He was first gonna go work-out and then, if he gets lucky, screw with Sakura…'s mind.

"Tell me about it, the chick can't do anything right. She nearly killed me yesterday with something she made in her Cooking Class, then she kept ranting on and on about how Sakura was the best in the class and made all of the meals that she made look like shit, but truth is, that she does that by herself and makes them taste like shit too." He said. He began to clean the red lipstick on his neck and scowled as he saw yet another hickey that she had left. Dammit!

"Hm, so your current girlfriend hates your ex-girlfriend because she's perfect at everything; and your ex-girlfriend hates your guts and doesn't seem to give a rat's ass at the fact that you have a new, slutty girlfriend who you can easily tell lies about. So, how's your plan working out now Sasuke?" Naruto asked with a smug expression.

Sasuke shot a death glare at Naruto that just caused the male to laugh. He had to admit, what Naruto said was not only logical, but the truth. But what Naruto didn't know was that his current girlfriend was the ex-girlfriend of his ex-girlfriend's current boyfriend. Thus, if this were ever to be found it, Sakura would not only be angry, but her boy-toy would also be angry. So, like he said the day he decided upon making that slut his girlfriend, he was certainly gonna kill two birds with one stone. Now all he had to do was find a way to let Sakura know that Ami was actually Atsushi's ex-girlfriend and that they had still been dating three weeks into her and his relationship. Dude was already a cheater.

"Speaking of girlfriends, how is that chick Etsu? She helping to make Hinata want you yet?" he asked. He got rid of the towel and then Naruto got out of the doorway to allow him to head into their room and get a new shirt to wear.

"Well, I'm not sure, I mean, sure we've been dating for a month now, but Hinata doesn't seem any closer to being with me again than when we broke up." Naruto said sadly.

Sasuke got on a white shirt and then looked over at Naruto. "Jeesh Naruto, you haven't even flirted with the girl yet?" he asked.

"No, why, have you done that with Sakura?" Naruto asked as he went back over to his bed and sat down.

"Well yeah, I mean, come on Naruto, how do you expect her to want you again if you don't flirt with her and remind her why you started dating in the first place? Or, make her angry by using that Etsu chick." He said. He sat on his bed and took off his shoes. He was gonna switch into a pair of sneakers before he goes for a jog around campus.

Naruto stayed quiet. In a way, Sasuke was right. How was Hinata gonna fall for him again if he doesn't use everything that he has at his disposal? But could he really do that? He was too nice of a guy to make another girl jealous, he always uses kindness, which was one of the reasons why he adopted that kitten and gave it to Hinata. She seems to have really liked it, and now he's sure that every time she looks at the kitten, she'll think of him; the person who got it for her.

He stayed quiet while Sasuke got out his gym bag filled with his exercise supplies and began to put in a few things. Then the Uchiha sighed out, looped the strap through his arm and looked at him.

"Look Naruto, if you don't want Hinata back, fine, but if you of, remember, you have to do everything in your power and use all tools at your disposal. If one of them includes that chick, then so be it, but only if you're able to use it will you know just how far you're willing to go for Hinata." with those as his last words, Sasuke walked out the door of the bedroom and left Naruto by himself.

Maybe he was right, Naruto thought, he'll only know just how committed he is to get his precious Hina-chan back by pulling out all the stops. With that in mind, he headed over to his drawer where he began to rummage through the first drawer. Once finding the object of his desires, he turned it on and then waited while the piece of technology booted up.

"Come on, come on." He said while he impatiently tapped his foot against the floor. His face lit up once he saw that everything was booted, but he only had enough battery left to make a single call. He quickly dialed the number and placed his cell phone to his ear. "Yeah, his Etsu," he said as his girlfriend picked up the phone.

"Naruto-kun…? Hi!" his girlfriend said from the other line.

"Hey, Etsu, are you doing anything right now?" he asked a little timid.

"No, hoe come Naruto-kun?" she asked.

"Well, I was thinking, maybe we could take a small stroll down campus and then have some pastries at that one shop." He was gonna take her to the one that Tenten worked at, he was certain that she was working today from 7 to 9, a regular shift during school days. It was 6:30 at the moment and that would give him plenty of time to cause a scene in front of the best friend of his love.

"Oh Naruto-kun, that sounds so delightful, I'll be ready by 6:45, feel free to stop by and pick me up." she kissed him through the phone. "See you then!" the line went dead, and he ended the call and his battery immediately died.

He looked at his cell phone. The wallpaper he had was of him and Hinata on January 1st. he still remembered the kiss that they had shared on that day, the way she smiled, what she wore, and how she smelt. He remembers all that and he kicks himself for not being able to do all of that stuff with her again. That's why he's more determined now more than ever to get her back. She was, after all, his one and only love.

* * *

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* * *

He threw the ball against the wall, it bounced back, he caught it, and repeated the sequence with ease. With a bored look present on his face, he let out a deep sigh through his nose and continued to play with the ball of compressed air. He threw it high, it touched the ceiling, and he had to stretch his arm out a bit to catch it, but he caught it.

"God this is boring." He commented as he looked over at his roommate who was busy with a group of papers in front of him. His roommate stayed silent and he began to glare at the male. "Hey Shikamaru," Neji said as he sat up from his position on his bed. "What'cha up to?" he asked.

"Grading papers." Shikamaru said in a bored drawl. The spiky-haired male wrote down the grade of the student's test in one big, bold, red letter.

"Really, sucks to be you." Neji said. He resumed playing with the ball, the soft impact noise it made when it bounced off the wall echoed through the room along with the shuffling of Shikamaru's papers. "So, how come you became a teacher here anyway?" he asked.

"I don't know." Shikamaru responded. He placed the graded paper to the side. Such an idiot; didn't even know what a warranty was.

"Hm," Neji responded. The room went quiet again. Inside his head, Neji's thoughts sailed to what happened about two weeks ago; his encounter with Tenten at the gym. He smirked as he remembered everything that he said to her and her replies. She looked so hot on that day. "Oh, hey man, how's progress with Ino? That chick Kameko getting in the way yet?" he asked remembering what they had vowed to do on the day they found out the girls went there as well.

Shikamaru looked at the paper in front of him. It was Ino's. Her neat handwriting spelled out her full name and the ink from her purple pen was all over the paper. He looked at all the answers that she had bubbled in on the first page, they were all correct. So far, 10/10. He looked on the second paging, nothing wrong there. And finally the third page, hell, she got a perfect score, and she even answered the bonus question correctly. Ino must've been studying all night for that test. He let a smile grow across his face as he turned back to the first page and wrote down her score as well as a note, 'Perfect score, nice'.

"Hey, Shikamaru, you didn't answer my question." He looked over at Neji who had a somewhat annoyed look on his face. "I said, how are things going with you trying to win back Ino? Did Kameko interfere yet?" Neji asked, repeating his question for the young professor.

"Huh, oh, things are… fine I guess. She seems to be okay with me teaching her and Kameko is… Kameko." He finally answered. He put Ino's paper in the pile of papers that he had already corrected and set his eyes upon the new paper. Oh crap, Kameko's paper. And look at that, she wrote, 'I love Professor Nara' with a lipstick mark next to it on it too… how annoying. He grew serious as he started to go over her answers. Already it wasn't looking good.

"Ah, I see, so, does she know that you still like Ino?" Neji bounced it to the other side of the bedroom, just to have it fall on the floor and roll under the dresser. "Shit." he said as he went over to the piece of bedroom furniture, got down on all fours and began to search for it.

"No, you know how she is, oblivious." Kameko had gotten a 15/30 on her exam. That was worth a score of 50%(F) thus forcing him to give her a failing grade.

"Yeah, most girls are like that… Got it." Neji said as he pulled out the blue rubber ball and went back to sit on his bed and resume his game-play. He threw it harder this time and almost missed when he caught it. It was practically a centimeter away from reaching his face.

"So, what about you and Tenten?" Shikamaru asked. He had finished grading all the papers and was now placing them in the briefcase that he would use to transport the tests and then hand them out in class tomorrow. They were each divided up into different piles by being placed in the correct attendance book for each class. He closed the briefcase, set it down on the floor and then leaned fully down on the bed and closed his eyes, but not falling asleep.

"She's the jealous type, and I'm planning on using this girl in our class to get back at her. She's actually the same chick that I met on my way out of the café that day. Tenten was glaring at her and me." Neji said giving a brief description of a part that happened on that day.

"Hm, and is she pretty enough?" Shikamaru asked.

"She's decent, not the hottest, but good enough to use in order to get Tenten at her angriest and realize that she misses me." 'Because I certainly miss her.' he thought. Even though he may seem like a playboy, Neji was still the same Neji; he just wasn't as cold as before. His time with Tenten had softened him. But he always kept it hidden so that she wouldn't know just how big an impact she had made on his life. But he decided to show that when summer ended, so that people would think that he was a different Neji and to make sure that no one had a clue on why he was even like that.

"I see… you better be careful though, you know how much of a hothead she is." How could he forget the time he accidently called her fat –because of her love of food- and the pain that he had gone through that day both physically and mentally? He swore never to make that mistake again.

Neji smirked. Yes, his Tenten was quite the hothead. She often over-reacted to things that really were no big deal. "But that's exactly what makes this so easy to do." he said.

"Care to elaborate on that?" Shikamaru asked as he looked at Neji through one open eye. The Hyuuga was still throwing the ball against the wall of their room, right above the door, and catching it.

"Simple, with Tenten's attitude, she'll over-analyze on things and easily believe that I actually have feelings for the girl. Then she'll eventually go out of her way to break us up and learn that she still loves me." Neji said. His plan –he hoped-, was fool-proof. Hell, it even seemed Naruto-proof.

Shikamaru thought about in his mind. It actually sounded like a pretty good plan. Tenten would do that, think that they already developed far into their relationship and at some point get jealous. Hm, sounds pretty good. Now all he had to do was think of a way to make Ino think that he's in love with Kameko, which he would never, ever allow.

"Nice plan Hyuuga, now all I need i-" the sound of both cell phones ringing caught him off. He reached for his while Neji did the same and he saw the little envelope with 'New Message' written on it. He clicked 'Read' and read over the message.

* * *

To: Shikamaru; Neji; Naruto; Sasuke

From: Hitomi

Got Yayuki in the room… alone

* * *

He couldn't believe it, how did Hitomi manage to get alone time with her? Didn't he share the same room as her current boyfriend? He exited out of the message and closed his phone. Then he placed it back on his bed where it had currently been. He looked at Neji who placed his in his pocket and then looked at him.

"Hm, Hitomi works fast." The small pounding resumed again.

Shikamaru turned his head back to its up-right position and closed his eyes. "Yeah." He agreed. He wonders how he could possibly get Ino alone. She could get a bad grade on something causing him to ask her to see him after class. But Ino's been doing so well in the class. He sighed, he was happy for her, he really was but… can't she just get one bad grade so that he could be with her alone… even for just ten minutes?

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"Yes!" she exclaimed as she finished writing and closed the large book.

"Why so happy Ino?" Sakura asked as she got off her bed to climb up a few steps of the ladder that was used to get up to Ino's.

Her friend had a bright smile on her face as she began to pack up everything and place all the papers in the correct spot. "I just finished all of homework. Now I'm free to pick out my outfit for the day and then sneak in a quick Strawberry Fruit Smoothie at the lounge." She shoved in the last book and then fixed her pencil case. She placed it inside her bag –a large and fashionably black purse [black goes with everything]- and then closed it and hung it from her bed. She let out a happy sigh and looked over at the clock placed on the dresser a few feet away. Three hours of doing homework. It was 9:18 now; that took too long.

"Congrats pig." Sakura said. She had finished her work about half an hour ago and had been reading something in one of the latest issues of 'Vogue'. "But I gotta ask, what took you so long?" she knew that only had only gotten about three pieces of homework for three different classes that day.

"Ugh, Sakura, did you forget, I had to finish reading up to page 50 in my book. Plus I had to summarize what I read. I wanted to make it perfect so that Mr. Suzuki would praise me… duh." Ino said as she sat up on her bed and looked at her friend.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I guess I did forget, but come on pig, what are the odds that he's gonna say 'Yamanaka, that was by far the past summary of the book that I've ever read'?" Sakura said as she tried to imitate the distant voice that they had heard earlier that day in the parking lot when Ino called out to her handsome teacher.

"Don't crush my dreams forehead!" Ino exclaimed.

"Hey Ino, you mind keeping it down over there, I'm trying to study." They both looked over at Karin who had an unusually large amount of paper scattered over her bed.

"Oh, sorry Karin." Ino said a little un-sure. She then brought her blue-eyed gaze back to her pink-haired friend. "So anyway, it could happen. Now can you please get down Sakura, I kinda wanna get my outfit ready for tomorrow and need to get down." Sakura nodded her head and got down from the ladder, she then followed and once her feet were on the ground, she headed over to the closet. "Hm, what to wear, what to wear?" she hummed to herself.

Sakura sat back down on her bed and continued skimming through the magazine. She never really read 'Vogue', that was more Ino's thing. But, she figured that she might as well for one time, besides, who knows what great fashion tips she just might pick up.

"Hey Sakura, do you mind if I wear your red flats tomorrow?" Ino asked.

"Why?" Sakura said as she raised her head from behind the magazine to look at Ino who held the flats in her hand.

"I need them to go with that red sash." Ino said as she held the sash in her other hand. The sash was fully red, a lipstick red, and had a clasp in the middle to connect the two different ends. It was meant to go around your stomach, right on your curves.

"Okay, fine." She answered as she looked back at the magazine.

"Thank you." Ino said. She heard the blonde go back to looking for things to wear in the closet. She, on the other hand, went back to looking through the magazine, not bothering to read it.

She placed the magazine down. She was bored now. There really wasn't anything to do. She could go hang out with Atsushi, but he had texted her little earlier stating that he was practically buried in work. She could go hang out with one of the girls, but they were probably busy as well with their own things. Ugh, what to do, what to do.

"Alright, I got my outfit. Now, off to the lounge." Ino said. Her eyes widened and a smile graced her lips. She got up off her own bed and stood in front of her friend.

"Hey Ino, mind if I come with?" she asked as she looked at the blonde who was placing the hangers with her outfit for tomorrow on the nail that she had nailed next to the closet.

"Of course not Sakura, come on." Ino said. Ino grabbed her by the arm and began to drag her out of the room. They both started heading for the lounge that –thank god- didn't mean going down stairs or waiting for the elevator.

They went through the door that connected their dorm to the middle building and walked straight ahead until they came across a large are filled with places to sit and things to do. They went over to the door to get in. It was held behind a glass case. In fact, half of the room was glass. The sides were normal wall, while the place where the door was, was glass and the other side, was just another giant sheet of glass that held a second door to get to outside where students could lounge on the chairs placed there. The window currently showed a view of a dark blue sky with tiny star fragments.

"I still can't believe just how gorgeous this place is." Ino said as they both took a seat on the hot pink and orange bean bags that had been placed near the T.V. that a group of students were currently watching. Of course there were others inside besides them. This area was almost never empty, only when everyone was asleep.

"I know; it certainly is a step up from High School." Sakura said. She squished some of the material of the neon orange bean bag that she was seated on.

"Yeah… but High School wasn't all that bad. I mean, sure I hated it, but… Remember what we were in High School Sakura?" Ino asked changing the subject.

Sakura stayed quiet. "How could I not… we were tortured nearly every second of the day until we finally got home." She hated remembering about what her life was like back in High School. Since then, she's developed, gotten rid of her glasses, and lived practically the full High School experience. She unconsciously ran her finger through the scar on her right hand.

"Yeah, but things did eventually get better… you know… when we were partnered with guys." Ino said quietly.

Sakura stiffened. The memory of that project –scam- that Kakashi had given them held some of the best and worst moments of her life. Bets because… well worst because she hated it at first because they all had to live in a house with guys but best because… She stopped thinking about it. She didn't feel like thinking about her time with Sasuke. Especially considering how he was acting now and who he dated.

"Ino… let's not go there, it's kinda depressing." She said.

"I know, but we can't just push all those memories away. Remember Sakura, we were in love with me. How are we gonna forget our first loves?" Ino said.

"By not EVER talking about it." she looked out the window, away from the gaze of her best friend. It was such a gloomy topic. Her heart ached when she reflexively remembered the day Sasuke had told her that he kinda liked her.

* * *

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Flashback

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She got up to get the snacks after easily volunteering. Stepping into the kitchen, she went over to the cupboard to go and get the popcorn kernels. She opened the packet and then started to add the kernels into the popcorn machine. She added the correct amount and then turned the machine on and then placed the kernels back on the shelf. Then she got out a large bowl and placed it under the spout of the machine while the popcorn started to slowly fill it.

She could hear some of the conversation going on and couldn't help but smile. Her friends seemed to be getting along with the males. And she'd be the biggest liar on the planet if she said that she wasn't actually starting to enjoy their company.

She turned around to head over to the fridge and grab a few drinks. She pulled out the giant 12-pack of soda –still too young to drink beer- and began to lift it. It was so heavy.

"Need some help?" she dropped the packet when she jumped and looked at who had spoken to her.

"S-sasuke?" she stuttered out. She quickly fixed her glasses and then let out a sigh. What was he doing? He raised an eyebrow at her and she blushed when she felt his intense eyes on her. "Uh… um… no… no, I can do it." she said with a blush present on her face.

"Liar, here, let me help." He grabbed her gently by the arm and the blush increased as her pulse rose. He moved her to be behind him and then he went to grab the packet. She could see his muscle flex as he did so. Wow, he was so… so hunky.

She shook her head when she thought of this. She looked away from him and her view landed on what was happening outside. There seemed to be a lot of commotion and she wondered what. She heard a deep sigh let out and then looked back at Sasuke. He had placed the pack on the counter and was now leaning against it.

"There, you really shouldn't be so selfish Haruno. When someone offers you help, the proper thing to do is take it." he said as he looked at her.

"I-I know, but…" she raised her hand to pull back her hair but Sasuke beat her to it. Her eyes widened as he did so. His finger brushed her cheek in the process. He pulled the strand behind her ear, removing his hand and taking her glasses in the process, revealing her enchanting green eyes. She took a step back.

"W-why did you do that?" she asked, nervous as to the sudden acts of kindness. It was so… not Sasuke.

He smirked at her. Her blush matched her hair and her green eyes were the brightest that he's ever seen. He placed the glasses on the counter, on top of the soda, and then advanced towards her. She kept moving back as he got closer and closer to her. Then she was cornered when she touched the wall. He caged her body with his, both his arms at the side of her head. Her eyes were wide with shock and the blush now out-matched her curious hair color. He leaned in and gently brushed his lips against her.

Sakura felt her heart momentarily stop. He had just kissed her. Uchiha Sasuke, the hottest guy at school, had just kissed her, the complete opposite of what he was. When he pulled back she looked into his eyes.

"Why did you do that?" she nervously asked.

He leaned in more, and for a second, she thought that he'd kiss her again. But he was further to the right of her head, right beside her ear.

"Because… I think you're kinda cute." Sure she wasn't the prettiest of girls, but she was definitely cute. The blush that stained her cheeks at the moment seemed to out-do the beauty of several of the girls at their school. She was different than all of the others. And he was certain, that with a bit of improvement, she could become better than all those other girls. She had certainly proved it today at the talent show. Her body was amazing.

"O-okay."

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End flashback

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That day was the beginning of everything. It was when they started their secret relationship that eventually became exposed to everyone at school due to Karin and her groupies. It was when she finally realized that she had deep feelings for Sasuke. And then they had sex for the first time and… look at where that all got her. They broke-up due to the jealousy of those girls, she has a new boyfriend and… her life does seem better without him in it. But her heart still aches every now and then and she's often found herself comparing the guys that she's come in contact with since their break-up to him. But that all stopped when she met Atsushi. He made her feel happy and provided the sunshine that she needed.

"But… I guess you're right," Ino said. This caused her to turn her head back to her best friend. "We shouldn't dwell on the past, it's all about the future now baby, and things are getting better and better each day." Ino said with a bright smile.

She laughed at the sudden turn of emotions in her friend. She really did love how Ino just seemed to brighten things up. She wished that she had managed to spend more time with her during the summer. Because then Ino would've probably provided a temporary sunshine in her dull world back then.

"Yeah, nowhere but up, and someday you'll own you're fashion organization-"

"World-wide." Ino interrupted with a smug smirk on her face.

She giggled. "Yeah, world-wide fashion organization and I… I'll… hm, what am I gonna do after college?" it had never occurred to her until then but she thought that all she needed to do was go to college and her life would be better. When in reality, she doesn't even know WHY she's going to college in the first place. Obviously is what to get a good career, but what was her career? What did she want to be when she finished college?

"Oh don't worry about it Sakura, I'm sure you'll eventually figure it out. Besides, with as much determination as you have, it would be a real shock if you don't end up as a huge V.I.P." Ino said, trying to cheer her friend up.

"Yeah, you're right Ino, thanks." She said.

"Anytime forehead."

* * *

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* * *

"So the answer to this would be that formula." Hitomi pointed to the formula on Yayuki's textbook. She quickly scribbled it down and then a smile appeared on her face.

"Oh my god… you did it… you actually helped me finish this homework." She said in disbelief. She looked at the six pages of work that she had managed to complete with Hitomi's help. It just so happened to be the last of the homework that she had been forced to do. They decided upon doing the others first before tackling down the big one. And they managed to do it all! She looked at him. He was seated next to her but her back was pressed against his chest as he had his right arm stretched all over her body to point to stuff in the textbook. He was so close. "Uh… I guess I should go now." she said, finally realizing just how close he was.

He looked at her. She was looking down and quickly, but carefully placing her study supplies in her bag. She moved away from him and he placed his arm at his side. He missed her warmth. It felt good to have her there again.

She stood up, and forgetting that there was still the giant Physiology textbook on her bag, it fell to the ground and landed directly on her foot.

"Ow!" she exclaimed. She quickly sat back down on the bed and held her foot. She now regretted wearing flip flops. The backpack fell on the bed and she slightly hissed in pain.

"Are you alright Yayuki?" he asked, trying to keep the concern from reaching his voice. He bent over to pick up the book and then placed it at his side. He then looked over at her was biting her lip.

"Yeah I'm fine, but that seriously hurt." She wiggled her toes and then smiled. The pain was now dulling down and it didn't seem like it caused any minor injuries. She placed her foot on the ground to stand up and then winced. It may not have caused an injury but it sure did make it hurt to walk. "Aw man, it hurts to walk."

"If you want, I could carry you back to your dorm." He leaned in more and was close to her neck. "Just like I used to."

She held in her whimper. Already she wanted him very close. She could feel his presence near her neck. Then he placed his hand on her leg and she felt her skin heat up. Oh how she wished that she could control her body.

"H-hi-Hitomi…" she breathed out his name and then when he spoke her name, she thought that she would've lost control. But she caught sight of a picture of Miomi and her, one that Miomi had probably placed himself. That helped her keep control. "Hitomi please," her voice was stronger. "Don't touch me; you know that what happened in the past won't ever happen again. And as nice as your gesture is, I have a feeling that you're doing it for all the wrong reasons." She scooched more on the bed, away from him.

He looked at her. Her words, hurt, if not just a little, but they were a complete lie. He let out a deep growl in the back of his throat, barely audible. But judging by how her eyes slightly widened and a blush crept up on her face, he knew that she heard it. He also knew that she enjoyed it when he growled. She said that it was a turn-on.

"Yayuki," he breathed out her name near her neck and she felt the hair at the back of her neck stand up.

She then remembered the situation that she was in. She was on his bed… in his room… alone… knew one knew that she was in here, except Minamo, but she thinks that she's with her brother… and the door's locked.

"Hitomi… please… stop." She said.

She looked at him and he felt his heart clench out. She was being serious. She wanted him to stop advancing towards her. But he could still see it in her eyes, she did want him. But she was battling between her mind and body. Her body, certainly, wanted him, but her mind probably convinced her against it. He leaned in more, certain that he could end the war with a simple kiss.

He brought his hand up to touch her cheek and brought her face closer to his. He could practically hear the thumping of her heart. When he brought his lips to hers, he felt his stop and was certain that hers did as well. She was reluctant to kiss him back. The fact that he was her ex-boyfriend was still clogged up in her mind. He used his other hand to move aside her backpack and

textbook, both items now on the floor. He pushed her down on the bed and moved her legs so that all of her was under him.

She felt her back against the bed. And although they were in a new position, she still hadn't made the move to kiss him back. She wouldn't go against her vow to be Miomi's girlfriend, and while she could still feel it in her heart that she had feelings for Hitomi, they were locked up by her new feelings for Miomi. She felt his hand on the bare skin of her thigh and as it rose, it was now on the hem of her shirt. He removed his lips from her and she looked into his clear, crystal eyes.

"Hitomi… I…" she gasped out when she felt him kiss the swell of her breasts. She didn't even feel it when he slightly lowered her shirt.

"He doesn't love you." He said. She had heard that so many times come out of his mouth. And she always said to herself that he was lying. That he was only doing that so that she couldn't live a happy life with her new boyfriend. But, he had said the same thing about himself.

"N-neither do y-you." She said.

He stopped his movements. He placed his head on the junction of her neck. He felt her soft hair cushion the side of his head and her heavy breathing. His eyes were sad. He hadn't meant it when he told her that. It was just… a part of that plan. Couldn't she see that he still loved her? He's never had those types of feelings for any girl besides his mother, but of course, that was unconditional love. But that wasn't the case with Yayuki, he didn't love her unconditionally, he loved her because… he always has. And probably always will.

"Hm, I suppose I did say that." he said.

She felt him shift and then he got off of her. She silently and slowly sat up on the bed and placed her feet back on the ground. His head was turned away from her. He had his hands on his lap and his bangs covered his eyes. She wanted so badly to reach out and touch him. Her fingers itched to do so but she held it back. She looked away as well.

"Hitomi… did you mean it?" she looked at him and saw that he looked over at her in curiosity. "Did you mean it when you said you never loved me?" her voice was close to breaking. He looked away again and let out a deep sigh.

"No." he planned to keep up that lie until she finally came to her senses, but he'd figure that it'd be easier for her to give up on her relationship with Miomi if she knew that he still loved her. "I could never stop loving you Yayuki." He reached out to grab her hand and she kept it there. He brushed his fingers against the knuckles.

She felt herself choke up. He… he had been lying all along. He did love her… he still loves her. They still held the same feelings for each other but.

"I'm… glad." She spoke out. "But… I can't be with you Hitomi." She pulled her hand away from his grip. Immediately she missed his touch. "I told myself on that day that I'd never go back. I'm not about to become a liar… I think I should go." she got up and grabbed her bag. With her backpack on her shoulder and textbook in her hand, she grabbed Yuksi off the floor near his bed and began to leave the room.

The door opened before she could do it herself. Miomi looked at her and then smiled. "Hey love, what're you doing here?" she watched as his gaze went over to Hitomi who was still seated on the edge of his bed.

"Hey Miomi, I needed help with my homework and came to find you. When you weren't here, Hitomi helped me. We just finished and I'm leaving." She said trying to make the situation as innocent as possible.

"Okay then, so I'll see you tomorrow then?" he was so trusting. It hurt her to lie to him. She never exactly liked lying to people. Sometimes it was just necessary to spare someone's feeling, but even if the intentions were good, it didn't make lying any righter.

She nodded her head and he leaned in to kiss her. Panicking, she moved her head back and he looked at her in curiosity. "Miomi, please, I'm really tired and… I'm sorry." Without another word, she left the room. She didn't why she had stopped him. She's never done that before. Maybe it was the fact that Hitomi had kissed her and his confession that made her do that? Her heart was now battling itself. Her mind stopped fighting the battle, because it now knew that it couldn't win the war. Meanwhile her heart was split in two and going against itself. The Hitomi side was awake, while the Miomi side was trying to regain control. She felt so split.

She reached her room a few minutes later. Closing the door, she nearly sunk down to the floor. But she kept her body up and steady while she clung onto the doorknob. She let out a shaky breath. She had been so eager to go to college because of the fewer drama that she expected, but turns out that it was the complete opposite.

"Oh Yayuki, you're back." Minamo looked up at her from her bed. "Did he help you with your homework?" she asked, completely unaware of what really went on. Yayuki nodded her head and headed over to her bed. Minamo then took in a breath, placed down the book that she had been reading and went over to her. "Hey Yayuki… do you think that I could talk to you about something?" she asked nervously.

"Sure." Yayuki said silently as she began to put her stuff away. "What is it Minamo?" while on the outside she seemed complete composed, inside she was freaking out.

"I just wanted to know… is it okay if I… start dating Hitomi? Now I know that you might think that I'm being the old Minamo again but I'm not. I just want to make sure that it's okay with you so we can steer clear of nay drama. So, can I?" she looked at the girl who had stopped doing everything.

Yayuki stayed quiet. She wanted to date Hitomi? The same Hitomi that still loves her. She wanted so badly to keep the girl away from him, but she figures that she owes the girl one because she easily let her date her brother. And besides, if she acted this way, it would just mean that she wasn't over Hitomi, which she wasn't, but she wanted to be and maybe, just maybe, this was the first step. And like the saying goes, 'If you love something, set it free.'

"Sure."

* * *

.

* * *

"Oh Moon, gross." Hinata looked at the little 'present' that Moon had just made for her on the floor of her shared dorm. She was so glad that Tenten had left a while ago because she was certain that the brown-haired girl wouldn't appreciate the fact that the 'present' was done in her night slippers. She picked up the slipper and looked at the mess. Then she got the little kitten in her other hand. "Oh man, Auntie Tenten certainly won't like that." she said.

She went over to her bed and placed the kitten back on its tiny bed. Then she quickly walked into the bathroom and got out a plastic paper bag. With her hand inside of it, she got the mess out of the slippers and then turned the bag inside out, thus the mess was now in the bag.

"Yep, Tenten definitely won't like that." she tied the bag up into a knot. She has got to potty train that little kitten before she comes home one day and finds his little 'presents' all over the floor.

She placed the slipper inside the sink and turned the water on. It would have to soak for a few minutes before she could get the stain out and hopefully manage to dry it quickly using the hair dryer. And it'll be her little secret. With the bag in hand, she went back into the dorm and looked over at Moon who was currently sleeping. Maybe she should add a plastic slip cover over his bed? That way, it'll be easier to clean his messes. And while he may not sleep well, at least cleaning up the poop and pee that he was bound to produce in his sleep –like a few nights before- would be a hell of a lot easier.

She slipped into her slippers and gently opened the door. Once it was closed, she started heading over to the trash can at the end of the hall. It would be safer to dump it there; that way her room wouldn't smell. Dropping the bag into the silver can, she turned around to walk back to her room when she spotted a familiar person walking down the hall.

"Oh, hi Hinata-chan." Naruto looked at the one girl who still held his heart. She wore a simple long white shirt and he hoped, a pair of shorts under. She had on fluffy pink slippers and her hair was up in a bun. It was the first time that he's ever seen her dress like that. She looked so confident, so pretty so… much better without him. And that made his heart slightly ache.

"Oh Naruto, hi, how've you been?" she turned to fully look at her old boyfriend. It really didn't bother her that she was talking to her ex-boyfriend. She was comfortable with Naruto.

"I've been… great. School's going fine, the guys are fine and my dad hasn't disowned me for embarrassing him in class." He said.

She laughed lightly at his joke. "You know, Naruto, I have to admit, I was a bit surprised when I found out that your dad was a teacher here." She admitted.

"Yeah, well it came as a shock to me as well." He said.

"Wait, you mean you didn't know that he taught here?" she asked. How could he not know that his own father was teaching at the college that he was going to? If it was her, she'd probably know the very day she told her parents that she got admitted in to the college.

"Well, I knew that he as a professor at a college, but I just wasn't sure where. In fact, I didn't find out until the day before when he was on campus. I asked him why and he said that he was going to talk with the Dean about the class he was gonna teach. Believe me, I thought about transferring out of the college on that very second." He said.

"Well why, it can't be that bad having your dad around." She said.

"Well, it's not just my dad, turns out that my mom teaches here too." He said with a little bit of sadness in his voice.

Her eyes widened. No way. "You're mom teaches here as well? What does she do?" she had to know, she had to know. Call her a gossip, but it was for a good reason. If she knew which class her mom taught, then she could easily avoid the woman. Just because Naruto didn't seem to say anything to his father about their past relationship didn't mean that it could be the same with his mother.

"She teaches Biology." He said.

She stayed quiet. You mean to tell her that that red-haired woman that was teaching her Biology class was his mom? She never would've known. The woman hadn't said her last name; all she said was to call her Professor Kushina, nothing else. "Naruto… you mom's so pretty." What else was she gonna say.

"Oh, thanks Hinata, I think so too." he had to admit though; it was kinda weird what she said. He expected something else.

"So… what kept you from transferring out?" she asked completely changing the subject.

"A girl." He said. He watched her look away. "She's really pretty and… I like spending time with her and… I can't get her off my mind. She's the only reason that I'm still here." He said.

"Oh… she sounds really nice… Naruto." She said. It hurt her to hear him talk about Etsu that way. She secretly wished that he and Etsu had never gotten together in the first place. But that would be a selfish desire and she didn't want to be selfish. Etsu seemed really happy about the relationship. And apparently so does Naruto.

"She is… considering she's you." His words stunned her. She hadn't expected him to say that. He placed the goofy grin on his face that he knew she loved. "You're the reason I stayed Hinata."

"…" she was silent. She was so unsure at what she should say or do. Hell, her mind was blank. She didn't even notice that he had moved closer to her until she felt his hand on the side of her head. He raised her head up and she stared into his blue, blue eyes, a blush now present on her face.

He couldn't take it anymore. He had spent the past two hours with Etsu. And all she talked about was her love for animals and complimented him on everything he did for her. She was a nice girl, pretty too, but she was just so… annoying. He missed Hinata. He wanted her to be his again so badly. This was why he was making one of the largest moves that he's ever done. He had planned to keep milking the Etsu thing but he was more desperate now than ever to get back his little Hyuuga.

He moved closer and gently touched her lips with his. It was like time froze. Her heart stopped and she felt herself clutch onto the material of his shirt. She instinctively closed her eyes and kissed him back. It felt so good to kiss Naruto again. She wouldn't say this aloud but she missed him. Everything about him, she missed; his touches, his caresses, his kisses. The way she made him feel whenever he was close to her. The warm feeling she got in her stomach when he kissed her; kinda like now.

"Hey Naruto-kun, you forgot your –Naruto! What are you doing?"

They pulled apart. She looked behind him and her eyes widened when she saw Etsu there. The brown-haired girl had a look on her face that was a mix between anger and sadness. She felt her own heart break. She had not just done what she thought she just did. She quickly pulled away from Naruto. Her butt bumped into the trash can.

"Hold on, Etsu, let me explain." Naruto said. He hadn't expected her to come out of her room and catch him making out with Hinata. Hell she wasn't even part of one of the thoughts in his mind. Hinata was.

"No, I don't need to hear it. You two obviously like each other and… apparently I was just the rebound girl." Etsu looked at them both; tears threatening to spill from her eyes. "I should've known with the way you two acted that day at the Pet Boutique." She turned around to stomp back into her room, but stopped when she felt Naruto's grip on her wrist. She looked at him with angry, tear-filled eyes.

"Etsu please… let me explain. I promise that I won't lie to you, just… give me a second chance." He needed this girl to help get Hinata back. And while he didn't want her to feel saddened by his choice, he wasn't gonna tell her the truth either. He was just gonna sweet-talk her and try to get her to keep him. And yes, it was so unlike him, but he wanted back Hinata!

Etsu looked at him, and then at Hinata. The girl seemed to be regretting what she had done. But she'll certainly regret it even more, later. She was gonna use Naruto to get some payback against Hinata for kissing him in the first place. It was obvious that the girl liked him. "Okay fine," she said looking back at Naruto. "But you have ten minutes to explain or we're through Naruto-kun, you hear me, through." She said.

"I… I guess I should go now. Sorry Etsu… Naruto." Hinata quickly excused herself from the scene. She couldn't believe what had just gone down. The first time that she's ever been selfish in her entire life and it backfires on her. That's it, she's never gonna do anything selfish ever again.

On her way back to her dorm, she mechanically touched her lips. She could still feel Naruto's on hers. The kiss… had been amazing. Just like every other kiss that they had shared. She couldn't help but be selfish when it came to Naruto's kisses. They were just so magical and made her feel so… ugh!

She could still feel it.

* * *

.

* * *

She stomped her way out of the room. She could not believe what she had just witnessed. It was disgusting, revolting, something that should never be allowed to ever be done in public. He was such a jackass. He knew very well that she had been standing there. And yet he still did what he did. Ugh, that asshole!

"Hold on, Tenten," she felt a vein throb in her head. She didn't want to, but she angrily turned around to stare at the man that had caused her stomach to flip in anguish. "Why so mad?" he asked as if it were nothing.

"Why the hell do you care Hyuuga?" she looked at Neji who had this smirk on his face that she wished she could punch right off of him.

Neji inwardly smirked, but he was doing it on the outside at the same time, although, on the inside, his smirk was much, much larger. He could tell that Tenten was jealous. She had the same look on her face as that day in the café and that other day in class. She was jealous of him talking –making out- with another girl. He would've chuckled at the moment but was busy annoying Tenten by licking his lips of the girl's Strawberry lip-gloss.

"Because it seems to me that you're jealous of me kissing that other girl." He said.

Tenten stayed silent. Then she let out a fake laugh and glared at him. "Jealous, why the hell would I be jealous of you trying to swallow that girl up Hyuuga? If anything, I'm annoyed that you don't care about the fact that there are others around watching. Like come on, get over yourself, you really think that people want to see you kiss that girl?" she stopped talking. She made it seemed like she was truly annoyed but inside she was heartbroken. Neji was never that way with her. He never, ever did P-D-A, but he chose to with that girl. Probably just to get on her nerves, which he succeeded at doing.

"Those people should just mind their business and get one with their lives." He remarked.

"Well it's kinda hard for those people to when it happens not 2 feet away." Neji had kissed that girl just as she decided to go compliment her on her shoes. He practically swooped in, pulled her against his chest and just randomly kissed her out of nowhere. Her mouth was left agape.

He let out a chuckle. "Damn Tenten, who would've guessed that you were the jealous type." He said smoothly.

"Once again, and I'm not repeating it, I'm not the jealous type Hyuuga. I was just annoyed." She placed her hand on her hip and contorted her face into one with a lot of attitude.

Neji looked at her. He didn't bother saying anything. He just stayed quiet and looked at her form. She wore a dark green dress; it was loose-fit and flowed. He could see the black under-shirt that she wore because one of the sleeves of the dress was low on her arm. It kinda made her look tough –who would've thought someone would look tough in a dress. She had on some black combat boots. She hadn't changed out of the clothes she wore to class that day. What, were those her pajamas too? Tenten really was a beautiful girl. Her body was perfect, her skin flawless, the extra earrings made her a little punky and the short hair revealed her creamy neck that… that had a band-aid over it. Why would she have a band-aid there unless… she had a hickey.

Anger filled his veins at the thought of Tenten doing anything with anybody. He couldn't believe that she would dare let someone suck on her neck. That was his thing and no one else's. She shouldn't even let anyone near her neck unless they're a professional hairdresser. But of course, it could be something else, but just to make sure…

He grabbed her hand and brought her in. His hand placed on the small of her back while the other still had her in his grip.

"H-hey, what are you doing Hyuuga?" Tenten looked into his face. He seemed angry, almost giving her a death glare. He face was stoic, but his eyes held it all. "H-hyuuga… N-neji…?" her voice was squeaky. She's never seen him like this before. Not once, not even when he was his angriest; which apparently was his second-angriest. She stared into his pupil-less eyes and she saw something else in them. What was that?

In a split second, his mouth was on hers. Her eyes widened and she immediately started to struggle. She could feel his tongue pry her mouth open and she gasped into the kiss at the feeling. She soon started to calm down and enjoy the kiss. She didn't want to, nor had she meant to, but her hormones got to her. Kissing Neji… it had been her favorite past-time back in the day. Often she would ambush him somewhere private and they would take part in what seemed to be an un-breakable lip-lock. She moaned when his tongue brushed over hers. Her pulse increased, and he let go of her arm. She placed them on his shoulder blades and he brought her in closer.

Neji felt… happy; he was glad that he was finally able to kiss Tenten… again. Last time had gotten so well. She did slap him. But now it seemed like she was as into it as he was. He started moving and eventually pressed her against a well. He placed his hands on her thighs and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist. He released her lips and began to place kisses on her neck. Pressing his lower body against her –she moaned, he groaned- he used his other hand to carefully pry off the band-aid. He looked at what was under it. A scar, not a hickey, but a small scar; almost like a scratch. He smirked and felt even happier. She hadn't let anyone do the things to her that he had done. He began to suck lightly on the scar.

"Neji…" she moaned his name in pleasure. He smirked and pushed his lower half more against hers. She gasped out in surprise.

He pulled his lips away from her neck and placed the band-aid back on. Then he quickly released her; dropping her to the ground. He composed himself and cleared his throat. She looked up at him. Her cheeks flushed and her lips bruised from their violent kiss.

"Bye… Tenten-chan."

There may not have been a hickey there before, but there was one now.

* * *

.

* * *

Shikamaru sucked in the fresh, night air. The noise from the lounge was easily blocked out by the sound-proof glass, placed there for a reason. He looked up at the numerous stars. There were a few clouds in the sky. One of them went over the crescent moon present on that night. He breathed out and looked at the campus.

He often comes out there to clear his head; which was pretty much every time his mind was clogged up by that blonde hair, blue eyes, and bright, bright smile. And no, not Kameko's smile –as if-, but Ino's smile. It seemed like every time he looked at the Sun, he would see her face in it, with that angelic smile placed on it. His heart warmed whenever he saw it, or thought of it. Kameko's smile was not like that, the complete opposite really. While her face seemed bright, her eyes never matched it, Ino's always did.

He got off the rail and turned to head back inside. His heart momentarily stopped when he spotted her. Her bright smile was painted perfectly onto her face as she laughed at something that Sakura said. Then she said something and he could see the sparkle in her blue eyes, the one Kameko lacked.

He couldn't' believe that she was there; and to think that he was just thinking about her moments ago. It was like everything in his mind had materialized and placed her right in front of him. He held his breath when he saw her look up a bit, he thought that she had caught him, but then she brought her eyes back down and the smile was still there. He had hoped that she was smiling because she saw him there, but he doubted it. He was dressed in dark colors that night, a way to camouflage himself whenever he came out, and a much attention to detail that she may pay, he knew that it would be impossible for her to know that he was there.

They both got up and then Sakura talked to Ino. She said something and then started to walk away, waving good-bye. Ino waved back diligently and then she turned towards him. She began walking to the area and he hid more in the shadows. He didn't want her to see him, not yet at least. He heard the door swivel open, the sounds of the lounge momentarily filling the quiet night, and then become immediately blocked out once she securely closed the glass door once again. She leaned against the railing and looked up at the stars. A wind blew and she shivered. He felt bad for her. The night was colder, especially with how high up they are, and her clothes weren't exactly perfect for the drop in temperature. She had on a white and salmon pink striped tank along with the same colored pink shorts and sandals. Her hair was pulled back by a white headband, allowing him a perfect view of her face. He slowly, un-zipped his jacket and stealthily approached her. He placed it against her shoulder and she gasped, then quickly turned around to look at him.

"Who the hell are y– Shikamaru? Why'd you scare me like that?" Ino looked at him with now clam blue eyes that, even in the little lighting of the night, seemed as bright as usual. She placed her hands on the edge of the sweater that he placed on her and brought it closer. She was cold.

"I was star-gazing, what are you doing here Ino?" he blew away a strand of hair that got in his eyes. He missed having his ponytail. But he had to change it to make it seem like Kameko convinced him to. He knew that it would annoy her.

"I wanted to get some fresh air. The lounge may have an air-conditioner but it doesn't compare to the natural." She looked back at the sky and closed her eyes. She inhales deeply. "Yep, there's nothing better than fresh air." Although it was awkward with having Shikamaru there, she decided to ignore it.

"I couldn't agree with you more, Ino." He gently caressed her names and took a spot next to her. He saw her open her eyes and then slowly look down. "Something wrong?" he asked, worried as to why her attitude just changed.

"Oh… it's… nothing…" she lied to him. The way he said her name really took her back. It reminded her of all the times that he would whisper to it in her ear and make her heart flutter. It happened again now; although, it was a bit more painful considering their current relationship.

"Ino, you're a bad liar, I can see it on your face –in your eyes. You're upset about something. Now tell me, what's wrong?" he spoke to her softly.

He watched as she looked towards him and then with a fake smile plastered on her face, she spoke. "It's really nothing Shikamaru. Besides, if something was bothering me, I'd just say it, not try to hide it." the smile may be fake but it was a lot more realistic than Kameko's will ever be.

While that did sound like something that she would do –classic Ino, in fact-, it was still a lie. "Ino, quit lying. You can trust me." he said. He reached out and touched her cheek. It was like tiny sparks on his finger as their skin finally came in contact. He wanted to pull her in so much closer. But he knew he couldn't. She may seem head-strong, but she was actually more like a deer caught in headlights. If he moved too quickly, she could get scared and run away. He didn't want that.

"Shikamaru…" she said his name softly and closed her eyes, enjoying his touch. She felt a lump begin to form at the back of her throat; she was holding her tears back. All those memories came crashing back into her like one big car crash. They made her heart ache, and it was too much, too much to hold in. Soon she held her eyes tightly shut but tears escaped anyway. She didn't know until she finally felt pressure on her lips. He had leaned in to kiss her. She was taken aback by the waves of elasticity that she felt when their lips touched. It was a soft kiss, one that two people shared when one was in trouble, one meant to make a person feel better. There was no tongue involved or nothing. It was a perfectly, clean, soft kiss. He pulled back and she opened her eyes. She stared into his. She felt a blush on her cheeks.

"I hope you feel better… Ino." He turned around and opened the door to the lounge. He stepped through and closed them.

She watched his retreating back. She clutched onto his sweater. The feel of his lips lightly against hers was still present. The tears were still falling, but slowly. She sucked in some air and bit her bottom lip. He had kissed her… and while it felt good, it brought back even more of those memories and her heart strained in pain. She choked out a sob.

Why'd he have to kiss her?

* * *

.

* * *

"Ah, another boring day." Sakura was half-way to her room. She spoke the sentence to herself, a new habit of hers, and turned a left corner. She continued her way there and spotted a familiar mop of hair. She began to jog towards it.

"Atsushi!" she exclaimed as she jumped onto the back of her boyfriend.

Atsushi was bent over slightly at the sudden new amount of pressure on his back. He grabbed onto her thighs and held her up as he looked turned his head to look at her. "Hey Sakura, I see you're in a happy mood." He smiled at her and it warmed her heart.

"Well I am now." she giggled and then he gently set her down. She fixed her clothes –a dark blue t-shirt with the logo of her old school on it, some white shorts and fuzzy slippers, very casual- and then looked up at him. "I didn't hurt you when I jumped on you right? I heard a grunt of pain." She looked at him slightly concerned.

He chuckled and fixed his clothes as well. "No, that grunt was because I was surprised. Besides, you're not heavy at all Sakura; you're probably the lightest girl I know." He complimented.

"Good boy." She said and they both laughed. There was nothing better in the world than a guy who instead of saying, 'What, please, you're not THAT heavy,' says, 'You're not heavy at all.' Oh yes, she definitely hooked herself a winner.

"Well I have an even better master." He winked at her and she blushed.

"Flattery while get you nowhere." She teased.

"It's not flattery Sakura, it the truth." He said with a smile on his face. Yep, she was so keeping Atsushi. She would probably be the dumbest person in the world if she ever broke up with him. He was all that a girl wanted and more.

"I see, well then my little doggy, mind telling me what you were up to?" she had to admit, she found it odd that he was in the girls' dorm and not the boys' one. Could it be that he was cheating on her? Because if that was it, he was so gonna get hell from her.

"I was on my way to see you. But it seems like instead, you came to me." he stepped closer to her and she laced her fingers with his. She looked up at him, he was taller than her, but not by that much. She did reach his nose. He gently kissed her on the lips, she felt the butterflies form in her stomach, but they quickly died down when he stopped. Funny, when Sasuke used to kiss her, the butterflies always stayed and –no, no, no! She was not about go to comparing Atsushi with Sasuke like she had done to every other boy that she came in contact with. She wasn't, she wasn't, she wasn't!

"Yes, it does seem that way." She said softly. They stayed in the hallway like that for a few moments. Her head was against his chest. It wasn't that toned, but it was good enough. His heart beat was present in her ear drum and it seemed to almost calm her down.

"Hm… I think you're sleepy Sakura." He murmured into her hair.

"Only a little." She confessed.

"Maybe you should go to bed? We do have class tomorrow." He seemed more focused on school than her lately. It's been like that since the first day of classes. Sure she got to see him, but it was rarely. In fact, it seems like she sees more of Sasuke –and she hated this- than she does of Atsushi.

"But, I wanna spend more time with you. I hardly get to see you." She didn't want to seem clingy but it was true. This was the first time in an entire week that she's been able to see him.

"I know, I know but… you need your sleep Sakura, my princess, and I don't want you cranky tomorrow." He said.

She sighed out heavily and raised her head from his chest. She let go of his fingers and then stepped away from him. "Okay Atsushi, but promise me that we'll get to spend some time together this weekend?" she asked softly.

He leaned down and kissed her on her forehead. The butterflies didn't even show up. "I promise, now go to bed princess." She smiled and walked away from him. Her smile faltered as she got closer and closer to her bedroom door.

"Stalking me again, Uchiha?" she stopped a few feet away from Sasuke. He was leaning against her bedroom door and smirked at her when she crossed her arms at him.

"No, not really, but I do need to talk to you about something." He got off her door and came closer to her presence. She intuitively moved back. She didn't want him any closer than he already was. It could not only be a health hazard but also a mental and emotional hazard. And she was sure that he knew of this all too well.

"Not interested, now, why don't you go run back to your little girlfriend? I'm sure her bed's still warm." She sounded so cold, but hid the anger. She was sure that the only reason she saw him so much in the girls' dorm was because he kept running back to Ami to get his fill… by filling her. Her heart ached at the thought.

He smirked. She truly, truly was jealous… good. "I'm sure it still is, but I'm not one for fourths," a complete lie. He wasn't even over at Ami's before he came there. He had just dropped off his gym stuff in his room and thought of going to annoy her a little more before he fell asleep and dreamt about her finally being his again. "Besides, I think that this is far more important than screwing with my girlfriend." He saw her eyes twitch when he said that. It hurt him to say it as much as it hurt her to hear it.

"Then this must be pretty big." The sarcasm was evident in her voice. She used it to hide the hurt that had formed after his last sentence. "Alright, hurry up Uchiha; I need to get my beauty rest."

"Don't worry Sakura, I have no intentions of stalling the time that you use to make yourself look decent," she began to snarl at him. It was kinda hot. "No need to be angry, it was a compliment."

"How was that a compliment?" her pink eyebrow was raised.

"I said 'decent' not 'approachable'. It means that you are approachable Sakura, just not… very approachable." He knew perfectly well which buttons to push.

She sighed out. "Get on with it Uchiha." She refused to call him by his first name. This was not the Sasuke that she knew. And certainly not the Sasuke that she had actually fallen in love with. Oh how she hoped that love had disappeared. Or else it could cause a huge problem.

"Very well, Sakura…" he cleared his throat before he began speaking. He ran a hand through his hair and she rolled her eyes. "I saw that little scene there with that guy."

"My boyfriend."

"I prefer to call him 'that guy'." He saw her smirk and he decided not to comment on that. "Anyways, I couldn't help but notice that you seemed rather unhappy with his quick leave. I assure you, that if we were still together, I wouldn't leave until I knew perfectly well that you were happy." He said.

"What are you getting at?" she gasped out when she felt him push her against the wall. She looked up at him and saw that he had a smirk detectable on his face.

"I mean, you made a big mistake when you broke up with me Sakura. I never would've thought that you'd let those group of fan girls destroy what we had. And that… little cherry blossom, upset me." he leaned in more and captured her lips. He was focused on bringing her back to him by showing her what she was missing out on.

She was stunned silent –and not just by the kiss. She didn't know that he was still upset over that. She thought that he had gotten over it and –her thoughts were blocked out by the tinge of electricity that happened when he ran his hand down her leg. Goose-bumps formed on her skin, all over, and she began to kiss him back. She opened up for him and she could feel his hands now on her hips. He pushed himself against her and she moaned into the kiss. She had her hands on his shoulder, near his neck, and playing with the strands of onyx-blue hair. The butterflies in her stomach disappeared and were replaced by an annoying coil. No, she could not be… horny for Sasuke so easily. But then again, it was just her body reacting to how it was built… and to the man that she apparently still lusted after. He broke the kiss and began to attack her neck. He sucked directly on her pulse point and she sucked in a breath of air. He moved her body up, her feet no longer touching the ground, his hands tight on her ass. She could feel the blush present on her face. It grew when she felt him squeeze her behind and press himself even more against him.

"S-sasuke…" there it was, the moan that he enjoyed hearing so much. No one, no one could ever say his name or make him feel the way he did when she said it. He moved his head from her neck and down to her chest. He moved one hand from her ass and used it to lift up her shirt over her right breast. He sucked on the perky and hardened nipple through the light pink bra. She moaned out again. "Oh my god…" she breathed out. He smirked as she did so. Now he was certain that no one's touched her like this since their break-up, because if someone had, she wouldn't have reacted to him like that.

He removed his mouth and replaced it with his finger. He squeezed the nipple and looked up at her face. She was clearly enjoying it; the dark blush and heavy breathing proved it. "You like that don't you Sakura?" he asked huskily. He could feel it, just how wet she truly was at the moment.

"M… mhm…" she wouldn't deny it. Sasuke knew her body so well, and the things that made her crazy, that if she said anything else, she would hate herself for lying.

"Good." He stopped and pulled back down her shirt. He placed her feet on the ground and captured her lips once more. It was brief and when he pulled back, she opened her green eyes and he could see that they were clouded with lust. "I'll see you later… Sa-ku-ra." As much as he didn't want to, he removed himself completely from her and began to walk to his room. God did he need a good shower.

Sakura managed to keep herself up by holding onto the doorknob of her dorm. Her breathing was heavy and she could barely think straight. She could not believe what she had let him do to her. But… it just felt so good. She missed his touches, and the way he made her feel but… but… she had a boyfriend.

"Sakura, are you alright?" she turned her head slowly to look at the person whom the concerned voice belonged to. The person placed the back of their hand to her forehead. "You're hot and all pink, maybe you're sick, come on, let's go in." Ino pulled out the key to their dorm. She was now wearing Shikamaru's sweater over her shirt. She could still smell him on her. She opened the door to the room and pocketed the keys. Then she grabbed onto one of Sakura's arms and helped her inside. She closed the door with her foot.

"Oh my god, is she alright?" Karin looked up from her book and watched as Ino led Sakura to her bed and the girl nearly collapsed on there. She didn't know why she was concerned about her, but she just was; there was just something about her.

"I'm not sure. She's warm and… I think she has a fever." Ino said with concern. She had no clue why Sakura was like this. She had been fine when they were in the lounge. What could've brought on this sudden fever?

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Sasuke sent the text on then pocketed his phone again. He was currently passing the lounge and a group of girls passed him. They smiled and he stayed impassive. He felt his phone buzz and then pulled it out to look at the four messages that he had gotten. Funny, it was the same thing he wrote. He couldn't help but smirk at it.

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To: The reader

From: Sasuke; Naruto; Hitomi; Neji; Shikamaru

I kissed her

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Wow, that was quite a chapter. So, what did you guys think of it. I know that I added a little, almost lemon, and that some of you were probably hoping that it would happen but believe me; the chances of them screwing in the hallway are not for this story. They're for my other story 'Bracelets'. Speaking of which, I'm gonna start work on the new chapters, which are from the guys' POV, I'm sure you'll love it. Plus, you also read an improved scene from the story that lead to this sequel, 'Hokage high'. If I could, I'd re-write it but I keep it as it is to remind myself of what NOT to do and how much I've grown as a writer. But anyways, I have a feeling that a lot of you will review for this chapter. This was actually the first time that I tried being more perverted than usual… and I think that it came out really well. And yes! I kept it nearly all Sasuke and Sakura, giving them the biggest parts, but still managing to add in all the other couples, and not over-shadowing them. See, I have gotten good. Now please review, this story is only like 20 reviews away from beating 'Kiss of Death', and I really want this one to be like my number one story. Although, 'Bracelets' is close to catching up. Alright then, review and please check out my new story!

Xoxoxo Chibi Star Vamp

P.S. I had to re-write this, I so didn't like the beginning. Hope it was better!


	7. One Hell of a Sunday: Part 1

Yay new chapter, I'm on a roll! As you all know, I've been on hiatus for a while. Not to work on another project or anything but to deal with moving and what-not and now… I'm back. I just uploaded my other story and am now working on this. I guess that it gets simpler to update after a while. Anyways, I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter. It really does deal with a lot of stuff. And maybe… if not… I'll add a tiny little sex scene. Maybe, I don't know. Anyways, on with this.

Disclaimer: I do not own _Naruto_, just my characters, the plot and the epic-fail of a story that led to this. Yep, I'm calling it an epic-fail because that's exactly what it was. And I'm not embarrassed to say so, just annoyed.

Reviews

I Love All Books- here's your update! And to answer a previous review, no I d not watch _Glee_. I've heard about it, but haven't seen a single episode. I just use songs I like.

Enjoy!

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Two weeks later, Sunday morning

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_The door to the room creaked open. The sound was very audible to her ears and she slowly turned her head towards the door. Since she had been sleeping, she wiped at her eyes and then yawned before focusing in on the figure approaching her. Her eyes widened._

"_What are you doing here?" she asked as she raised her upper body off of her bed. She looked around her room. Ino was gone and so was Karin. The lights were dimmed and the few rays that reached her only came from the lights outside in the hallways._

_The figure didn't respond. Instead the door was closed and it began to move closer to her. She groaned. She was not in the mood for another attempt. She rolled her eyes as he hovered over her bed. Hold on… wasn't the bed a bunk bed? It was, but… the top was gone._

"_Go away Sasuke." She said as she saw him look at her, eyeing her. She sighed out and then turned around on the bed so that her back was against the mattress and she was looking up at him. "I told you, go away Uchi-ah!" she yelled._

_He pushed her back against the bed and hovered on top of her. His legs were in between hers and his arms were at either side of her head. She looked up at him and nearly froze at the look in his eyes. They were darker… much… much darker. They were blacker than space and it freaked her out a little._

_He smirked down at her. She couldn't look away from him. The light from the full moon that was visible through her window gleamed off of his flawless skin. They made him seem un-earthy and so, so irresistible. One of his bangs covered his eyes and gave him that creepy look. But for some reason, she was actually… attracted to it. He leaned in more and she felt her breath hitch in her throat._

"_Sakura…" she shivered at the way he said her name. So low, so husky, it drove her insane._

"_Sasuke…" she said as she still stared up at him. He smirked and she began to glare. "Get the hell off of me or I'll scream!" She shouted._

_He just chuckled darkly. She felt her skin begin to crawl as he lowered his head. His bangs brushed up against her face as he lowered it near her neck. She thought she would scream when she felt his lips there; leaving tiny kisses that made her skin heat up. She let out a gasp as he did so. She bit her bottom lip as the trail of kisses got lower and lower, until he was kissing just above her chest._

"_Q-quit it Uchiha; you… you're not… not my boyfriend anymore. A-Atsushi is so… s-stop." She stuttered out. "Ah!" she gasped. _

_The knee that was in between her legs was firmly pressed against her center. He began to grind it against her, causing her body to react in ways that she wished that it wouldn't. But she couldn't stop the growing fire in her stomach as he began to move rougher and harder against her. She whimpered as she felt one of his hand ghost around on her stomach. _

"_I… I said… s-stop." She said weakly. She couldn't believe this. She was letting Sasuke do these things to her. Things that she never wanted to with him again but… just felt so good._

_The kisses on her chest stopped as he pulled his upper body back but continued to grind against her. A blush was spread over her face and he smirked at this. He moved his hand from under stomach to the waistband of her shorts. Pulling lightly on it, her eyes widened as she finally came to a realization. _

"_Don't. You. Dare." She said to him. Her voice and motive finally came back as he stopped touching her. She breathed in and out heavily. She was sweating from her forehead and that annoying tangle in her stomach had made itself well known now. And she knew exactly how dangerous that thing was._

_She didn't get a response from him. Instead she felt his hands at the bottom of her stomach, where her shorts were. She placed her hands there as well as she tried to pry them off of the material. She was not about to let this happen. She couldn't let this happen. Atsushi would be hurt, mortified and enraged if she let Sasuke do that to her. And she was not about to have Sasuke ruin her new relationship that she was very happy in._

"_Let. Go." she said. She struggled to pry his hands off. The waistband was now an inch off of her stomach and her eyes nearly popped out of her head as he removed a hand from the tiny game of Tug-O-War and shoved it down there. "Agh!" she gasped out as the feel of his fingers there once again._

_She let go off the waist band as her hands went to her side. His fingers moved against the extremely sensitive area in a way that made her mind go blank. She bit her bottom lip and covered her mouth with a free hand so that she wouldn't cry out. She moved her legs; her body unconsciously trying to get friction to start. Her other hand had the sheets of the bed wrapped up as she held onto them tightly. _

_He shoved a finger inside her. She cried out, her efforts to not do so were pointless now. Sasuke knew everything about her. He knew how to make her go completely mad. She had hoped that he would've forgotten that by now, but this showed that he hadn't. He still knew how to –and she hated admitting this- turn her on. Dammit!_

_Two were inside now and he began to pump her at a slow pace. The coil in her stomach was getting fierce. It knew that something had entered her and her body wanted release. It wanted him to go faster, to stop torturing her… to enter her._

"_Sas… u… ke~" she said as he went as deep as he could. His free hand held her hips steady as they tried to buck forward to make him go even faster. Her lip started to bleed at the force that she was using to bite down on it. He leaned down and licked her lips; getting rid of the blood. 'Dammit,' she thought. 'Why'd he have to do that?' her blood boiled as his lips started to move against her own. _

_Not even hesitant, she started to kiss him back. She enjoyed the feel of everything he did; the way he gave her so much pleasure with such simple acts. She continued to kiss him feverishly. Eventually a third finger entered her and she pushed her hips upward just to be stopped by his hand. She groaned into the kiss. Her hands were now in his hair; playing with the dark and soft locks. She moaned as she felt him begin to go faster. She'd wrap her legs around him, but her shorts were constricting her from doing so. _

_She could feel it… she was so close. So very, very close to finally releasing herself. She just needed him to go a little-_

"_Faster Sasuke… Faster." She said. She felt him shake his head. He really was torturing her and it wasn't fair. His hand was managing to hold her down well so she couldn't move her lower body to make him go faster. "Please Sasuke." She begged. She could no longer contain herself. Her self control had left the second his hands reached there._

_He continued to thrust his hand into her, and just as she was about to release herself, he pulled his hand away and stopped. She gasped in shock. She looked at him with wide, green eyes, only to meet a smirk._

"_Tell me what you want, Sa-ku-ra." He said._

_She blinked as she stared at his gorgeous face. What she wanted. What did she want? She had no clue, but her body did, and there was only one thing that she could possibly want at the moment._

"_Take me."_

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Sakura gasped as she woke up. Her head shot up off the pillow and she looked around the room. It was a dream. It had all just been a dream. She ran a hand through her messy, bed-head hair. She couldn't believe that she would dare dream about that… and with him! She was so ashamed of herself. That was like… cheating on your boyfriend. And in a way, that's exactly what she did. She gave into temptation… she gave into Sasuke… she cheated on Atsushi… in a dream.

She bowed her head in shame at the act that she had committed. This was all _his _fault. If it wasn't for that stupid stunt he pulled weeks ago, she would've never dreamt of something like that. But no. He just had to press her up against that wall and… ugh!

She moved around a little on the bed and that's when she felt it. Her face contorted into one of curiosity as she moved her legs a little bit more. They seemed… slick and…

"_Oh no!" _she shouted in her mind. Checking to make sure that neither Karin nor Ino were awake, she slowly placed a free hand under her blanket and maneuvered it under her shorts. She placed her hand over the area and then brought it back out of the blanket. She looked at the residue with wide eyes. _"I'm wet? I actually got turned on by that dream? Me?" _she shouted to herself.

But while she couldn't believe it, the proof was right there, right in front of her face. She had gotten so turned on by that dream that it caused her to get wet. And the results were on her finger tips.

"_Dammit Sasuke!" _she screamed in her mind as she decided that this was all Sasuke's fault for being so… so… Sasuke! She let out an infuriated groan before she pulled the sheets away from her body with her clean hand.

She slipped her feet into the pink slippers by her bed and began to head over to the bathroom. She'll have to get rid of this before she could even go back to sleep. She might have to change the sheets as well and maybe even the comforter. She didn't want to sleep on the same comforter where she had a dirty sex dream about her ex-boyfriend. It made her feel uneasy in so many ways.

She opened the bathroom door and then turned the lights on before stepping in. She closed the door and locked it before heading over to the sink and using her clean hand to turn the knobs and add soap to her fingers. She began to wash away the results of the dream.

As she finished, she looked up at herself in the mirror. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair disheveled. The last time she saw herself like that was when –no, no, no! She will _not_, I repeat _**not**_ think about those times. They were long gone and never to return…

She hoped.

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A few hours later, 8am

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"Forehead, get out of that bathroom already!" Ino shouted as she pounded on the door.

"Hold on a sec Pig, I'm almost done!" Sakura shouted back. She looked away from the door before continuing to get dressed. She finished tying her hair up in a ponytail before she added the black headband and just a few sprits of body spray. "There she said to herself."

After that morning's… unfortunate event, she had fallen asleep for another hour or so before waking up again to get ready for the day. Today she was gonna go down to the salon to hang out with Ino for a few before she goes off on her date with Atsushi. She just hoped that she could act normal around him. She still had such a guilty feeling in her stomach because of what she dreamt about. She knew that it wasn't her fault, her mind dreams what it wants, but she still wished that she hadn't gotten turned on by it. If that hadn't happened, she would've felt just fine about the dream; she could've easily brushed it off as an accident. But because she did get turned on, she couldn't do that.

She finished and waited a few while the scent of the body spray kicked in. She had picked up a nice, light little scent that was sure to get her noticed. And her outfit for the day would also make sure of that. She wore a striped, black and white shirt that hugged her curves perfectly and went down to her hips. The dark skinny jeans that she wore, contrasted just fine with the shirt and the black high tops tied it all together perfectly. Yep, her fashion sense was definitely better than ever.

"Hurry up Pig; I know you need a lot of makeup but come. On!" she heard Ino shout. Her eye twitched at what she said. She rolled her eyes as she calmed down. Then she grabbed her towel and finally stepped out of the bathroom. "About time." Ino commented.

"Oh relax Ino, I didn't take that long. Besides, it's not my fault that I have it takes you twice as much time to look as good as me." she said paying her back for that comment earlier.

"I'm gonna forget I heard that." Ino said. "Move aside." She pushed Sakura out of the way and entered the bathroom. Sakura just sighed out and went to hand up her towel. Today was gonna be another one of _those_ days.

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"Alright Hinata, ready to go?" Tenten asked as she zipped her jacket up a little. It was beginning to get cold outside due to the fact that it was mid-October, almost November. She still couldn't believe how fast time's flown by.

"Just a second Tenten, I have to finish feeding Moon." Hinata said. She watched as the much older kitten, almost three months old now, finished eating his cat food before going over to the other tray next to him and beginning to drink his milk.

Tenten groaned. "Come on Hinata, you're gonna be late for work." Tenten said. She placed her hands in her pockets before leaning against the wall next to the door. "And you can't be late today, remember, you have an expecting mother Pomeranian or something." She said as she reminded the Hyuuga of the very thing she said to her just days ago.

"Oh that's right." Hinata said as she looked up from her kitten and over to Tenten. "I almost forgot. She is due." She started to stand up from her bed and went over to her bag. She looked inside to make sure that all of Moon's things were in there before she went over t the kitten, who had finally stopped drinking milk, and picked him up softly. "Come on Moon, time to go to work." She said. She walked back to the bag and placed the male inside.

"Finally." Tenten muttered. It was like this every weekend. Hinata would be so focused on taking care of the growing kitten that she'd forgot mostly everything else she had to do. Tenten stole a glance at the watch. "Hinata, I've got to go or else I'll be late. I'll see you at your lunch break." She said.

"Oh, okay Tenten, sorry for keeping you waiting." Hinata said. She heard the door close as Tenten left. Moon was inside the bag and she closed it so that he wouldn't get out. She had managed to cut some of the material of the closing flap and placed a screen there that allowed the animal some air and sunlight.

She then went over to her closet and got out her denim jacket. The temperature was slowly lowering and the last thing she wanted was to get a cold. She made a quick stop to the mirror in the bathroom. She had pulled all of her hair back into a nice, high ponytail and held it together with a dark blue scrunchie. Her bangs were pulled back as well, but they made a little hump in her hairstyle. She looked fine that day.

She then went back out in the room and grabbed the bag. She slung the single strap over her shoulder and allowed it to rest on her hip.

"Come on Moon, off to see your friends." She said. She made sure that she had her student key and everything before she finally headed over to the door, stepped out and locked it. She headed off to work.

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"No, no, no! Not _there_, over _there_." Yayuki rolled her eyes at the agitated and commanding voice of her boss. She momentarily stopped moving the large and heavy box to look at the female. "What are you now, lazy, stop taking a break and get back to work you slacker." The manager then walked away, too irritated to be close to Yayuki anymore.

Yayuki wished she could kill the girl. Her boss had one hell of an attitude on her that irritated her to no end. Her boss was one of the most annoying girls that she's _ever_ met; and she's met a lot of annoying girls. She momentarily sighed out as she rested a little. The box she was carrying held over 100 new CDs. It weighed so much, and while she was strong, she was still exhausted for having to stay up nearly the entire night, just finishing her Physiology homework, and then having to wake up to go to work three hours later wasn't exactly helping.

She groaned. As much as she hated to admit it, she had had a better time doing homework with… _him_. They had managed to do it so quickly that she actually fell asleep on time. But since that day, weeks ago, she hasn't dared to go back to his room; not even to see her own boyfriend.

"_My name is Keri, I'm so very fly oh my it's a little bit scary, boys wanna marry, look at my deri aye, you can stare, but if you touch it, then I'ma bury."_ She groaned as she reached for her cell phone as the song continued. That song only belonged to one person, "What's up Teni?" she asked with the cell phone to her ear.

"Yo, just wanted to check up on you." Tenten said from the other end. She heard a sip and couldn't help but roll her eyes. Tenten was too addicted to coffee.

"I'm about to go off the deep end." She responded.

"What did your boss do now?" Tenten knew perfectly well about the problems that Yayuki had with her boss. Although she never understand how with the rivalry, the girl managed to get the job and _keep it_, anyways.

"New CD shipment came in today. And guess who got the oh-so-honorable pleasure of hauling all eight boxes containing 100 CDs _each_, around." She said with annoyance in her voice.

"Have your arms fallen off yet?" Tenten asked.

"No, but if she keeps telling me that where I'm putting them is _wrong_, and makes me move them _again_, they just _might_. Tell Sakura and Hinata to stand by for _that_ one." She said. From the other end Tenten laughed a little. "I'm being serious you know."

"Yeah, yeah, Yayuki, sure you are." Tenten said with sarcasm. Yayuki groaned while the girl took another sip. "Hey, you think you can sneak out for a few and come over here?" Tenten asked.

"Are you trying to get me fired?" she asked into the cell phone.

"No… I just want to see one of my friends. The others are apparently _too busy_ to have time for me. And in a crisis like this, I knew that there was only one person who would-" Tenten paused mid-sentence. Yayuki wasn't sure why but she heard screaming in the background. "Don't worry about it, I'm on it!" Tenten yelled.

"Looks like I'm not the only one having boss trouble today." Yayuki said after things on the other line finally calmed down.

"Ugh, I can't stand him. He keeps being a bitch about the bagels." Tenten said.

"Well, sorry to disappoint Teni, but I can't leave just yet. But don't worry, my break is in a few hours anyway." Yayuki said. She caught sight of her boss coming over to her with a furious look on her face. "Uh-oh, got to go, save me one of those bagels." She cut the line off and then placed the cell phone back in her pocket.

"What _are_ you doing? Didn't I _tell_ you to put that box over _there_?" her boss shouted at her as she pointed to the spot that was nearly all the way on the other side of the store.

"Yes." Yayuki responded as she tried to hide the anger in her voice.

"Then why is it still _here_? Move that box over _there_ and quickly and do the same with the others. And when you're done, I want you to train a new employee." Her boss said.

"New employee? How I can train them? I've only been working here for two months and barely know anything myself." Yayuki said. She was exhausted as it was already.

"Well if you don't continue working, you'll never make it to the _third_. Now do as I say and start moving the boxes." The girl said before she turned away. Her curly brown hair flared. Yayuki's boss was dark-skinned. She had cocoa-brown skin and light blue eyes. Her dark brown hair was always curly and today was pulled tightly back into a ponytail. The front of her hair was flat down, but as it went down and formed the ponytail, it was as curly as it usually was. Yayuki glared at the girl's back. She was gonna get hell later.

Groaning, she picked up the stupid box once again and began to move her. _"If my arms fall off by the end of the day, I'm making sure she pays the hospital bill." _She thought.

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Sakura watched silently at the hustle and bustle of the salon. It seemed like every time she was here, the salon just got even more crowded. She never knew how Ino could stand the pressure of having multiple clients at once. If it were her, she probably wouldn't make it past the first day.

"Hey forehead," Ino said. "Do me a favor and grab me some extra tin foil from the Supply Closet." Ino was currently giving a girl highlights.

"Sure pig, where's the closet?" Sakura asked as she stood up from her spot and walked over to Ino. Almost immediately, a woman there took it. The salon was so crowded.

"In the far right; just go down the hall and a door there will be marked." Ino said. She added a bobby-pin to close the tin foil up before starting to do another set of highlights. She dipped the brush and started spreading the red onto the girl's brown hair.

"Okay." Sakura responded as she started to head over to the hall. On her way there, she passed the woman who did her hair on the day she had her first date with Atsushi. The woman smiled at her.

"Hey sweetheart, how've you been?" she asked as she started rinsing someone's hair.

"I've been great." Sakura responded.

"I heard from Atsushi's sister that he's got a new girlfriend. Could that girl possibly be you?" she asked with a knowing smirk on her face.

Sakura nodded her head. "Yeah, two months, I can't believe how fast time flew by." She said. She knew that Ino needed the tin foil, but surely he could wait for it for a few moments, right?

"Ah, lucky girl." Said the woman. She started to apply shampoo to the girl's hair. "I had a feeling about you two. I'm so glad he got rid of that other girl." She said as a look of distaste crossed her face.

"Other girl?" Sakura asked as she gained a high curiosity at what the woman was talking about.

"Oh yeah, his last girlfriend was such a little whore. She would prance around this campus in skimpy clothes and never stayed faithful to the boy, although she claimed to love him." she momentarily paused to add some more shampoo. "I don't know why he kept her; maybe he went for the easy kind of girl." Sakura felt her hearts hatter a little; did Atsushi think she was the same? "But on the other hand, you two have been dating for a while now and he seems… happier and more content in what he does. You've done a fine job girly." She complimented.

"Thank you," she said softly. "If you'd excuse me, I have to get something for my friend." She said.

"Oh sure, sure, go ahead sweetheart." The woman waved her off with one soaked, gloved hand and Sakura went on her way.

She couldn't help the nagging feeling in her stomach that told raised her curiosity. What did Atsushi think of her? He's never complimented her in anything that she'd done; just that she's beautiful. And then whenever she tries to have a moment with him, he always tells her to go off somewhere or do something. Did he like her, or was he just waiting until they had sex to dump her?

"_Don't think that Sakura," _she told herself. _"Atsushi likes you, he really does. It's in his eyes…" _but she wasn't too sure about herself. _"I'll just ask him what he thinks about me on our date this afternoon." _She thought as she finally reached the closet that Ino told her about. She grabbed the tin foil and then headed back over to Ino just to catch a glimpse of familiar pink to blonde hair. _"Ami."_

* * *

"Hey dude, where's Ami?" Naruto asked Sasuke as he found the Uchiha playing a video game in the lounge again.

"She went to the salon to get her hair done. I basically have a free day." Sasuke responded to Naruto while he kept his eyes focused on the game.

"Awesome," Naruto started as he took a seat in the spot next to Sasuke. "So what do you want to do today teme? And where're the others?" Naruto asked as he looked around and saw that the other three were nowhere to be seen.

"Neji had to go home for a few, Shikamaru's out on a date with Kameko, making him busy the entire day and Hitomi said he has business to take care of." Sasuke placed the game controller down as he finally beat the game. He watched as his score came up at the very top; he smirked.

"So I guess it's just you and me today, huh t-"

"Naruto-kun!"

They both looked towards the door to see who had cut Naruto's sentence short. Standing there was none other than Etsu. She had her hair up in a messy bun that day and unlike if it was Hinata, It didn't look that good on her.

"Oh, hey Etsu." Naruto said a little awkwardly. Etsu locked her eyes on him as she went over to the pair. "How's it goin'?" he asked a little nervously.

"Not good Naruto-kun, not good." Etsu said as she hovered over her boyfriend.

"And why is that?" Naruto asked.

"Because, today is our anniversary and you have yet to give me my gift. Now, since this is probably the first time you've kept a relationship this long, I'll forgive you, but next time, I expect something gorgeous wrapped in a pretty pink bow." She said with a commanding attitude.

"_Who the fuck does she thinks he is?" _Sasuke couldn't help but ask as he stared angrily at the girl. He then turned towards Naruto to see how he would respond. _"Come on dobe, grow the balls to tell her off."_

"Oh, sorry Etsu, I guess. I didn't know today was our anniversary. It hasn't been a year since we started dating." He said as he stood and hovered over the petite girl.

"Not our one-year anniversary Naruto-kun, but our two-month anniversary." She said as she fixed her glasses. "Ugh, forget it, just come on, I have work today and want you to be there with me all day." she said as she suddenly changed sweet.

"All day?" Naruto asked. _"Please say no, please say no, I had plans to hang with the guys today."_ He thought.

"That's right, _all_ day, and that day starts right now; let's go!" she grasped his hand and began to lead him out of the lounge.

Naruto looked back at Sasuke who watched with disappointment in his eyes as his tiny girlfriend dragged him off. He knew what that disappointment meant. He was letting a chick boss him around. And not just any chick, but the one he was gonna use to win Hinata back. Hm, Hinata, didn't she work where Etsu does. Oh yeah, she does. Hm, maybe he came try to speed up the plan a little faster today.

Sasuke watched as his blonde male best friend disappeared as he walked down the hall. He couldn't believe that Naruto hadn't stood up to that tiny little midget. She wasn't Hinata; she couldn't just boss him around like she could. And he knew that Naruto knew that too, but he had let her boss him around like he was a little kid again. It angered him that he did so. It made one of his friends look weak, which, in return, would make him look weak and he doesn't like looking weak.

He sighed out. He'd have to do something about this. If he didn't act now, that little girl might have Naruto feeding her grapes like some Egyptian Queen, and that could _not _happen. Sighing out, he stood up from the couch and turned the game off. Then he started to head over to the lounge door. Naruto owed him one for what he was about to do.

* * *

"Hiya Amaya!" Etsu said as she and Naruto entered the Pet Boutique. Amaya, the receptionist, looked up at the excited girl and couldn't help but let her eyes linger on the attractive male whose hand she was holding.

"Hey Etsu, hi Naruto." Amaya said. She used different tones to address them both; a friendly one for Etsu and a sweet one for Naruto.

"Hey Amaya." Naruto responded back. Amaya noticed who he wasn't as enthusiastic as he normally was.

"What's the matter Naruto, feeling a little drained?" She asked with concern evident in her voice. _"Or has having Etsu as a girlfriend finally hit you?" _while she and Etsu were… friends, in a way, she knew perfectly well who Etsu could get once the relationship's been going on for more than a month. And so far, for them, it's been two.

"Oh, he's fine, he's just a little upset that he made me sad because he forgot our anniversary. But now worries, he'll be fine soon." Etsu said as she responded for Naruto.

"_I wouldn't be so sure." _Amaya thought. But aloud, she said, "That's great. Listen, the Pomeranian mother gave birth and the litter of puppies that she had was much more than we expected. You're being ordered to clean out some of the old cages in the back, Etsu, so we can use them to hold the new puppies." She said as she immediately gave Etsu her assignment for the day.

"Oh, okay, come on Naruto-kun, let's go clean some cages." She said excitedly as she was about to drag Naruto to the back with her when they were stopped by Amaya.

"I'm sorry Etsu, but you know the rules, no one's allowed in the back unless they work here." Amaya said a little sadly. But she didn't fail to notice the relieved look on Naruto's face that he won't have to be with Etsu for a while. _"Of course he'd be relieved, she's exhausting." _

"Oh darn," Naruto said. "I guess I'll just have to head back to the dorms then." he said a bit upset. But inside he was jumping for joy. _"Yay! I can continue with my plans after all!"_

"Oh, no need to be upset Naruto-kun," Etsu started as she turned to look at him. There was a glint in her eyes that he saw, but certainly didn't like. "Amaya, are there any open jobs here?" she asked her friend.

"_What, no!" _Naruto screamed in his mind. _"I don't' wanna work here. I don't wanna, I don't wanna, I don't wanna!"_ he shouted.

"Uh, any open jobs," Amaya started. She looked at Naruto's face. _"Poor guy must be going insane." _Then she looked at Etsu's. There was an evil glint in her eyes that she knew she shouldn't mess with. "Actually, there are, but I don't think-"

"He'll take it!" Etsu shouted without letting Amaya finish. "I'm sure whatever job it is, Naruto-kun will be perfect at it, right?" she asked as she turned to Naruto.

"_Dear god, she's trying to control my life. Somebody call the exorcist or something; get rid of this demonic bitch!"_ he thought as he stared at her. He gave her a nervous smile and nodded.

"Great, Amaya, you enter him into the system. Come on Naruto-kun, off to the back we go." she said as she started to drag Naruto to the door that lead to the back.

As he passed her, Amaya saw the sad look in his eyes. _"I knew this would happen," _she thought as they disappeared behind the doors. _"Poor Naruto-kun."_ she sighed out, and, doing as Etsu requested, gave Naruto the open job of Veterinarian Assistant.

* * *

"Here's your order." Tenten said as she handed the brown paper bag with the café's logo on it, to the male in front of her. "And your change, $3.50." she gave the man the three dollars and two quarters.

"Thank you." He said before he walked away with the bag and exited the café lodge.

Tenten sighed out as she leaned against the counter. Today had been an exhausting day, and it's only been two hours. So far, she's given like 20 orders and most of them she had to complete at the same time because there were more than three people waiting at a time. Why was the business so high suddenly? And not to mention the fact that the café's filled so she can't drink as much otherwise she'd get in more trouble. She leaned her head against the table with her elbow supporting it. She had about an hour before lunch, and two before her break. If she could somehow dodge as many customers as possible, she might be able to survive the shift and then hang with the girls for a few before returning to this hell.

The bell rung again, signaling that someone had entered the café. She looked up to see who it was and her eyes widened in surprise. _"Oh my god… it's him!" _she shouted in her mind as she looked at the very familiar blonde that she'd been searching for since the day she arrived at the college. _"Keep it cool Tenten; you don't want him to know how anxious you were to see him again." _

She waited patiently while he walked up to the counter and looked at the menu above her head. She pretended not to notice that he was there and instead kept her eyes fixated on a potted plant.

"Okay, I'd like," he started. He turned his head to look at her and she watched as his amazing grey eyes widened. "Tenten, is that you?" she asked as she stared at the boy. His blonde hair was up in a mini-spiky Mohawk and she caught sight of a few of his piercings and the tattoo at the side of his neck. He looked so hot.

"Yuu, hey, it's nice to see you again." She responded as calm as she could.

"Yeah it is; damn, if I'd known you worked here sooner, I would've come to see you before." he said with a smirk that made her heart do flip-flops. "How've you been?" he asked.

"Oh, good, good; still adjusting to college life, but good nonetheless." She answered coolly.

"Great, hey, you look amazing, you've changed so much since the last time I saw you." He started. She couldn't help but blush.

"Yeah, thanks, I decided to change my look a little before entering college. I mean, I kept that same one since I was little and finally decided to grow out of that bun-haired phase." She said. "You look amazing yourself. I like your Mohawk." She said. And the best part about it was that he kept all his hair and not shaved it off like most people would.

"Oh thanks, thanks." He said as he ran a tender hand through the spiky hair before setting it back down and looking at her. "So Tenten, can I get some Hot Chocolate?" he asked her.

"Of course Yuu, that'll be $2.00." she said. He handed her the two bills before she went off to the back to prepare the hot chocolate. She still couldn't believe how cute he looked. In the four months since they've been apart –they separated at the end of June-, he seemed to have matured so, so much.

She was very careful when preparing the Hot Chocolate for him. She didn't want to screw up and have him think less of her. That would make this the worst day ever, and it had just gotten better by seeing him again. She was so happy that he somehow managed to recognize her. She would've thought that he'd never even think that it was her.

"_So he has been thinking of me after all." _she said with the widest smile on her face that she had ever had. She finished stirring the drink and then closed the top and added the tiny straw. She then went back to the counter where he was and couldn't help but let her mood go down a bit when she saw that five other people were now behind him. _"Dammit, and here I was thinking that it'd stop getting busy." _She thought a little upset.

"Here you go Yuu." She said as she handed him the drink carefully. He reached for it and their fingers lingered for a second. She felt some of her particles jump off her hands to meet his.

"Ah, thanks Tenten." he said. He took a sip and then licked his lips. "I'll see you later, alright?" he said.

"Okay." She responded.

He gave her a finally goodbye nod and then went on his way. She watched his retreating back before she was brought out of her daze by the next customer. The female stared at her with a slightly annoyed expression. Tenten inwardly groaned.

"How may I help you?"

* * *

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* * *

"Hey Onagi brat, get your ass over here!" Yayuki sent a murderous glare at her boss who demanded her over to where she stood. Letting out a frustrated sigh deep in her throat, she headed over to the dark-skinned girl.

"Yes Monique?" Yayuki asked as she looked at the girl. Monique had her lips in a thin line and her hands on her hips as she stood near the Employee Lounge door. Despite hating her, Yayuki couldn't help but notice that Monique was a very pretty girl.

"That's Miss Monique to you," Monique started. "Now, our new employee is in there getting ready. When he comes out, I want you to show him the ropes. He'll be _your_ responsibility and if he fucks up, it'll be on _your_ head." She said as she explained it to Yayuki. "Understood?"

"Yes… Miss Monique." Yayuki said through clenched teeth. She saw the smirk on Monique's face and then lost it when the door opened. She felt her breath hitch in her throat as she saw who came out of the door. _"Oh… hell." _She thought.

"Yayuki, meet Hitomi, our new employee." Monique said with a smile on her face. She then turned towards Hitomi. "Hitomi, Yayuki here will show you how things around here work. But please, don't feel hesitant to ask _me_ for anything." Oh yeah, she definitely had an interest in Hitomi.

"Whatever." Hitomi responded. He looked over at Yayuki who seemed like she had just stared death in the face. He couldn't help but smirk at her reaction. He knew that this was probably the last thing on earth that she expected and that's exactly what he wanted.

He watched as she just stared at the boss. Then the woman walked away, waving at him, but he ignored it. An awkward silence fell upon the both of them. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and leaned side-ways on the wall that was there. He stared at her. She wore her uniform in a way that was perfect for colder weather. The black shirt that she wore still only managed to cover down to her navel so she added a grey shirt under that covered the exposed skin and had slightly longer sleeves. She didn't wear a skirt this time. Only a pair of jeans that fit her perfectly that were black as well and some grey high tops. She kept her hair in her new, signature braid, he wished that she'd let it loose again. He liked it better that way.

"So," he started. He watched as she switched her purple-eyes gaze to him. "Are you gonna show me the ropes or what?" he asked as he crossed his arms. He noticed who she just stared at him with an unidentifiable look in her eyes.

"Why are you doing this Hitomi?" she asked.

"Doing what?" he answered back.

"Why are you working here?" she asked. She was getting a little irritated at him being… _everywhere_. Sometimes it's like she can't turn a damn corner without him being there! Is he stalking her, is he actually a ghost? Lost in her thoughts, she slowly reached out to touch him to see if her hand would phase through.

"What are you doing?" Hitomi asked her curiously. She froze in her movements and quickly retracted her hand before looking up at him with determined eyes.

"Nothing, don't try to change the subject." She said. She could not believe she actually tried to do that. She hates her curiosity. "Answer my question; why are you working here? It's not like you need the money."

"Neither do you." He said. She rolled her eyes.

"Doesn't matter, I work here because I want to, not because I need to, but I have a sneaking suspicion that you're reason is less than… honorable." She said.

He blew a strand of hair out of his eyes before looking at her. He noticed how she just kept staring at him with that same look in her eye. He wondered what it was. That's when he caught sight of it; as she shifted, the buttons on her shirt moved a little and revealed something. Could she really still be wearing that necklace even after everything that's happened?

"Answer the question Hitomi." She said a little agitated that all she got out of him was silence.

"Okay, fine, I'm working here to give you back your senses." He said.

"What?" she asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Yayuki, you know very well that Miomi doesn't mean a thing he says to you. Don't you remember what he did to that one girl, Kin?" he said as he referred to the girl Miomi so easily used back in High School.

She knew she shouldn't listen to him, she knew she should defend Miomi, but at the same time… she _knew_ Miomi. "Kin, what did he do to her?" Yayuki remembered Kin easily. They had become friends at some point. Kin had beautiful black hair almost as dark as hers, but a little lighter. The girl added bright green streaks in it to state out her individuality –a reason they became so close. Her hair was short though, managing to reach her neck, cut in layers and be a little flared out. She had pretty green eyes and a nice body. She was what Yayuki liked to call, an Art Girl, meaning she loved all forms of art, just like her.

Hitomi knew it; the bastard hadn't told her about any of his past relationships. It meant that he didn't truly love her because if he did, he would've told her by now.

"Same thing he's doing to you, he used her."

* * *

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* * *

Hinata checked the current weight of the baby Pomeranian pup. He was the first one to come out of his mom and had been cleaned and fed. Now all that was left was a little check-up, blood sample, and a few shots.

She placed him on the scale and checked his current weight. It was average for a male newborn. Then she checked his heart rate to see that it was a little slow. _"We're gonna have to speed it up a little." _She thought. She quickly jotted that down on her clipboard and then resumed the check-up. _"Now for a blood sample." _

She placed the clipboard down before she picked the pup up from the examination table in her white gloves. She placed him down in a tiny area that was padded and provided some comfort. His eyes were still closed. She then got out what she needed. She grabbed a needle, tube, label and bandages. She attached the tube to the end of a tinier tube that would pour the blood inside of it as the needle extracted it. She added the label to the big tube and then made sure that it was on right. Then she slowly grabbed the needle and placed it indie the little Pomeranian half-way and held it there. She felt the dog wince a little.

"It's okay little guy, it's just a blood sample." She said sweetly as she watched the red liquid go into the bigger tube. After it was full to perfection, she removed the tube and then closed it. She then placed it on a silver tray where she had taken the supplies from and then started to remove the needle.

After it was out from under the puppy's skin, she lightly dabbed it with a cotton cloth and wrapped it in some breathable bandages before picking the little guy up and beginning to walk him over to his cage.

"You did so well," she said as she opened the cage door. "Mommy will be so proud." She closed it and then looked and walked back over to where he had just lain. She grabbed the metal tray with all the supplies. She walked over to the box for used needles and added in what she used. She was just about to head over to the door to go to the lab when it opened by itself. "Naruto?" she asked a little surprised that he was here.

"Hinata…" Naruto said. He entered the room and closed the door behind him. "Err, how's it going?" he asked a little nervously.

"Okay; what are you doing here?" she asked. Of course she knew why he was here. He was probably visiting Etsu and just needed to make it through her office to get there. The thought hurt her a little.

"I kinda work here now." he said. He saw that look of shock on her face. "I'm apparently your new assistant now so, what do you want me to do?" he asked.

She caught herself before she almost dropped the silver tray, thus breaking the bottle and spilling the puppy's blood all over the floor. But no, being a Hyuuga had its perks, and one of them was being able to stop embarrassing situations from happening. She gripped onto it tighter as she took in what he said. He was her new assistant…

"Um, what I want you to do, err," she couldn't think of anything. Then it hit her. "Can you do me a favor and run over to the Supply Closet and get me a box that says, _Needles_ on it? I need a few more for the other eleven puppies." Yep, the Pomeranian mother had delivered twelve puppies.

"Oh yeah, sure, of course I can do that for you Hinata-chan." He said. He grinned and she felt her heart flutter again. Curse that immensely cute grin of his. It was the same one he gave her that caused her to kiss him –and make Etsu hate her- all those weeks ago. That grin was down-right dangerous.

"Great, do you know where it is?" she asked. Naruto must've started working there today because she saw absolutely no trace of him there yesterday.

"Uh, it's just down the hall to my right… right?" he asked a little nervously.

She shook her head. "Afraid not; it's actually a bit of a walk to get there." she said softly. "Maybe I should just get them myself and-"

"No!" Naruto interrupted her. She looked at him curiously which caused him to give out a nervous laugh. "I can find my way there Hinata-chan, I swear, just, give me a chance." He said with a pleading look in his eyes. Oh god… she was weak for that look.

"O-okay Naruto." She said. "Now, if you'd excuse me, I have to get this down to the lab." She said. He opened the door for her to walk out. Once she was outside the door, she looked at him. "And if it's not too much trouble for you, could you go get me some extra cages?" she asked nervously.

"Yeah, who many?" he asked her.

"About eight more should do it. Make sure they're a little small, but not too small." She said.

"Of course Hinata-chan, you can trust me." he grinned at her. She let out a shaky breath and hoped that he wouldn't notice it, but he did. He saw the way her cheeks gained the slightest tint of color at his smile. He was so happy that he still had that affect on her.

"Thank you Naruto, you're the… nice." She said. She started to walk away from where he stood. She didn't want to call him _the best_ because then it would seem like old times. Times that, just like the Middle Ages, she never wanted to happen again. So instead she called him a nice guy and left his position.

Naruto watched Hinata's retreating back. The white Veterinarian coat that she wore covered all the way down her butt. But he could still see the slightest hint of curves and the roundness of said behind. God Hinata was just so beautiful. He wished that he hadn't screwed up in High School and gotten so many crazy fan girls, then Hinata could still be his. But now, he has to suffer without her every day. It's been months since he woke up and found her beautiful face asleep right next to him. And those months have been agony.

And now the fact that Etsu's practically trying to control his life, makes him yearn for the Hyuuga even more. Hinata was never as commanding or controlling as Etsu. And while at first they seemed relatively the same, now it was like they were complete opposites; which in a way, they were.

Deciding to stop stalling time, he started to head over to the Supply Closet when a thought occurred to him from earlier on when she asked, _"Where the hell is the Supply Closet?"_

He started to head over to the left, since Hinata said that the right was the wrong way. Strangely enough, he was headed in the very direction in which he came. And as he was just about to pass the door that led to the lobby, an idea popped into his mind.

"_I may not know where the Supply Closet is, but I'm sure Amaya does." _So with this in mind, he went through the door and was greeted with the familiar scenery of the lobby. He then stood in front of her desk. "Amaya, I need your help." He said as he slammed his hands on the desk and scared the girl a little.

The bleach blonde haired girl jumped at the sudden noise. She then looked up to see the cerulean blue eyes of Naruto. She couldn't help the smile that formed on her face. "What is it Naruto?" she asked.

"I need to know where the Supply Closet is; Hinata wants me to get some extra needles from there but said that it was a bit of a walk." He stated.

"Oh, if you want, I can show you there." she said. She looked up at him and saw the smile that formed on his face. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Really, that'd be awesome." He said. "You're the best Amaya."

Amaya got up from her chair and placed a little sing there stating that she would be back in five minutes. She blushed a little at the compliment and grabbed the large mass of keys that hung on her desk that opened every door in the Boutique.

"Oh, I wouldn't call myself the best. I'm just helping out a friend." she said. With the keys in hand, she started to lead Naruto towards where the Supply Closet was.

The walk there was silent; but not an awkward silence, just a very comfortable one. Although, Amaya couldn't help but be a little cautious before turning every hallway. If Etsu saw them together, she would go all jealous bitch on them even though she was just showing him to the Supply Closet. That's why Etsu didn't have many boyfriends. They all warned other guys about her and who she was, making her cuteness over-shadowed by her over-possessive attitude.

"Man, Hinata was right; this is one hell of a walk." He said. She laughed a little.

"Don't worry, just a few more steps." She said. They turned another corner and there it was, the door to the Supply closet. They hurried over there and she quickly opened it with one of the keys.

"Oh thanks Amaya, I thought I might never be able to find this place." Naruto said. He quickly spotted the box Hinata wanted him to get and grabbed it. He then turned to the shorter girl. "You're a good friend." He said.

Her eyes widened and she blushed a little. "Oh… thanks Naruto, you're a good friend too." She said. She pulled back a lock of hair and then closed the door once Naruto stood out of its way. "Now let's get these to Hinata; I'm sure she's waiting anxiously for them." she said.

"Right." Naruto nodded. With half of his mission complete, Amaya began to lead Naruto through the maze of hallways where they once again ended at the receptionist's desk. "You guys should add signs telling people which way leads to where." Naruto said jokingly.

Amaya laughed a little. "You're completely right. It would make things easier to navigate through this place." She took her seat behind the desk.

"Anyway, thanks again Amaya, I'll see you later." Naruto said as he went off through the door again. He waved and Amaya waved as well.

Once he was gone, she sighed. _"If only he wasn't dating Etsu, then I'd surely try to get him to ask me out."_ She thought forlornly. _"But eventually, he will break up with her and I'll have my chance. Naruto-kun… you'll soon be mine."_

Naruto reached the door for the Veterinarian and walked through. He was instantly greeted by Hinata giving a baby puppy something to drink while at the same time giving him a little check-up.

"Hey Hinata-chan, I got those needles you wanted." He said as he placed the brown box correctly marked on top of a desk. He then looked over at her and watched as she stood up from her crouched down position and looked up at him after writing something down.

"Oh thank you Naruto, I really needed those." She placed the clipboard down and then went over to the box. She opened it and looked at its content. Then she looked back at Naruto.

"What wrong Hinata-chan, did I get the wrong box?" he asked a little worried that he might've misread what had been written.

"No, you have the correct box, but, can you now please go get those eight extra cages?" she asked as she pulled out one of the syringes with a needle attached that was wrapped in plastic. She placed eleven of them in a row and then closed the box and went to place it in a vacant area on the shelf. She made sure that she could read the contents of what was inside.

"Oh yeah, sure, they're in the back Storage Room right?" he asked so that he made sure that he was correct.

"Yes." Hinata responded. She went over to check on the female puppy. She was quietly slurping her formula and was almost done. Hinata went to get her special newborn food.

"Okay, I'll be back in a little while. It'll take me four trips though." He said.

"I understand; it is a lot of cages." She turned towards him from pouring the puppy's food into a little bowl next to the water. She had a smile on her face. "Thank you for doing this again Naruto, you're very kind." She said.

"Ah, it's no big deal," Naruto said as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I love helping you out Hinata-chan, because I know it's worth it." he saw the blush appear on her cheeks again. Then he turned around to head back out the door. "I'll be back in a little while with the first two cages; not too small but not too big, right?" he said as he looked deeper into his memory at what she had told him before.

She nodded her head. "Make sure they're big enough for a puppy like this one." She said as she motioned towards the tiny Pomeranian pup.

"Whoa, that's a pretty small cage; I got it. I'll be back in a few." And with that said, he exited the room and left Hinata to her thoughts.

"_He really is such a nice guy,"_ she thought as she heard the sound of his fainting footsteps. _"And I think he still likes me… hm… this could get dangerous."_

* * *

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* * *

Sakura watched as Ami took a seat in one of the chairs and patiently waited for her turn. She pulled out a nail file and began to file away at her long and brightly colored nails. Sakura couldn't help but notice how skimpy her outfit was, even though it was cold. She showed as much skin as usual.

She turned away from the girl to check the clock. It was almost twelve, and only ten minutes away from her lunch date with Atsushi. She's been in that salon for about three hours now and was desperate to get out of the intoxicating fumes. She doesn't know how Ino's been able to stand it for the past two months because she knew that if she was in Ino's place, she'd never be able to withstand such high amounts of hairspray.

"You look anxious Sakura," Ino said as she started to add the finishing curls to a customer. "What's the matter, nervous about your date?" she started adding a new curl as the one she just finished bounced with perfection.

"A little; I haven't seen him in a few days and this date kinda came out of nowhere." She said as she started to share her worries with her friend. "I'm just nervous that we might be hitting that rough patch in our relationship already."

"Oh Sakura, you know as well as I do that that's not possible." Ino said. She finished making the curls and then placed the curling iron in its rightful spot. She removed the cover from the customer who beamed, thanked her, and then went off to pay. "Next!" Ino exclaimed. To bother her and Sakura's surprise, Ami stood up and made her way over there.

"Ami; you're not next." Sakura said. Sakura knew that Ami only arrive half an hour ago and that wasn't even close to how long she'd have to actually wait.

"Actually I am," Ami said as she took a seat and crossed her legs. "I had an appointment and the girl at the desk said to take the next available spot." She played a little with her strands. "So fix me up blondie, I've got somewhere to be." she said as she addressed Ino.

Ino would've dissed her if it weren't for the fact that this girl was a paying customer and she could get fired. "Alright, _Ami_," and she says the name with poison. "What would you like done?" she asked.

"A wash; plus some curls and added glitter; I have to look good for my boyfriend tonight." She said as she popped a bubble of her gum.

"Boyfriend?" Ino said as she started to check Ami's hair for anything else that might needed to be fixed. "It seems like you'll need to take some of the bulk off of your hair. That dye you used to make it this way is causing a lot of split ends."

"Dye, what dye, I didn't dye my hair?" Ami said as she turned furiously towards Ino. I'll have you know you fake blonde, unlike you, my hair color is natural." She said with a sniveling look.

Ino wanted to smack her so badly at the moment. But because she had a conscience, she didn't and instead laughed it off. "Oh you're so _funny_." The sarcasm was evident in her voice. "But fine, whatever, the point is that you need your split ends cut as well or you'll ruin your hair." Then, as a side statement, she thought, _"Not like it's not already ruined."_

"Hm," Ami said. "I guess I'll get that done as well. Damn, Sasuke really knows how to ruin hair," she said with a smirk. "At least it's worth it."

Sakura held back the glare she wanted to send at the girl. How dare she that. She didn't want to know about her and Sasuke's new life; it was the very last thing on her mind. And speaking of sexual intercourse and Sasuke, she still couldn't shake off that dream she had. It was just too erotic for its own good and got on her nerves.

"Yeah, yeah, come on, let's get you washed." Ino said. What she said had more terms to it than just washing her hair. That girl needed a good scrub down. She was like… a grade-A whore; worst than Karin had been. She and Ami left for the washing station and Sakura took a seat in the previously occupied chair.

She stole a glance at the clock overhead. _"Just a few more minutes now." _she thought as she saw the big hand move a minute further and closer to the 11. She sighed out and turned the chair to look out the window. And that's when she saw him come into the salon. Immediately she turned the chair around and sunk down a bit so that he wouldn't see her. _"Oh my god, what is he doing here?" _she thought as she tried to sink down into the chair even more.

It was so close to her time for the date –the hand was already between the eleven and twelve- and the last things he wanted was for him to there when Atsushi came to pick her up. She knew Sasuke, and she knew that he still had a thing for her, and the fact that she dreamt about him and let her do that thing to her so many weeks ago just gave her such a guilty feeling in her stomach.

She watched as Ino and Ami came back. Ami's hair was soaking wet and she had a cover around her shoulders and back. She stood up from the chair to let Ami sit but still sat at the side to try and hide herself from Sasuke's view.

"What are you doing Sakura?" Ino asked as she picked up a pair of small silver scissors and a comb. She started to straighten tiny parts of the hair before beginning to cut away the bulk.

"Oh, just, sitting down; there's really no where else to sit." She said as she tried to sit as close to the floor as she could without touching it. It was dirty with hair.

A silence fell upon them as the minutes ticked by; and before she knew it, Sakura heard the door open again and saw the familiar brown and blonde-streaked hair of Atsushi. He was looking around for her and sadly, Sasuke was still inside the salon.

"Atsushi," she hadn't said it, it had been Ami. "What's Atsushi doing here?" she asked with curiosity.

"You know Atsushi?" Sakura asked as she slowly stood up from her position and waved over t him. He smiled at her and made his way towards her.

"Of course," Ami said. She watched as he approached and smirked. She hadn't seen when Sakura waved at him. "I bet he's here to beg me to take him back; so sad." She said as he got closer and closer.

"Take him back, what are you talking about?" Sakura asked curiously. He was three-fourths of the way there.

"Atsushi's my ex-boyfriend, or play toy." Ami said.

"What?" both Sakura and Ino exclaimed in unison.

"Sakura, how've you been?" Atsushi asked as he made it there and pulled his girlfriend into an embrace, he kissed her cheek' completely oblivious to the fact that his ex-girlfriend was sitting in the chair and watching as the two interacted. "Ready for our date?" he asked as he released her and let his hand stay on her waist.

"Our date, oh right, yeah, totally ready." Sakura said. She was in mild shock that Ami was Atsushi's ex-girlfriend. She should've guessed it by the way the woman had described her.

"_Oh yeah, his last girlfriend was such a little whore. She would prance around this campus in skimpy clothes and never stayed faithful to the boy, although she claimed to love him."_ she had told her. _"I don't know why he kept her; maybe he went for the easy kind of girl."_

So it had been Ami who the woman had been talking to her about. And knowing this, Sakura became even more nervous about the date. How long had those two dated? Have they ever done anything together? Did he know of what she did to him? Why did he stick with her for so long? These questions and many more clogged her mind. But sadly, all thoughts were locked out of her mind as she saw Sasuke approach them.

"_I'm living in my own personal hell today." _She thought as Sasuke got closer until he finally made it there. She saw a smirk on his face.

"Ami," Sasuke said in his usual monotone. Although he addressed her, he knew perfectly well that Sakura was there and that guy had his hand wrapped around the back of her waist.

"_Sakura must be so worried right now." _Ino thought as she continued to do her job while at the same time watching the soon-to-be-drama begin to unfold. But at the same time, she couldn't help but think about how juicy this was. _"This is gonna be better than a soap opera; the most talked about thing in this place for the next couple days."_

"Sasuke-kun, so glad to see you early on." Ami said. She turned her head a little which almost messed up Ino's cut. The blonde glared at her but managed to make the cut anyways; she wasn't trained for no reason. "Although, I wish that you'd come to see me a little later, when my hair's all done and looks beautiful." She added.

"Hey, I know you," Atsushi piped up. "You're that arrogant bastard who broke my flying disk." He said.

"_That's right Atsushi, fan the flames." _Sakura thought as he boyfriend started to instigate the worse of the situation –not that it wasn't bad enough already.

"Hn," Sasuke responded to the comment. He then turned back to Ami. "How long are you gonna be in here?" he asked. He needed to know so that he'd have a time limit for his plan. He knew that once she was done, she would attach himself like a leech and not let him go until it was time for her to change for the date.

"Ask blondie here." Ami responded as she motioned towards Ino.

"In about three hours Sasuke. She has a lot of work that needs to be done." Ino said as she grabbed a new mass of hair with the comb and began to cut away.

"I see," he said. He then noticed that the guy was still glaring at him. He turned towards him. "What?" Sasuke said. He was beginning to get annoyed by this guy. It was bad enough as it was that he had his arm around _his_ Sakura, but now he kept looking at him like he was some alien.

"What do you mean?" the guy said.

"Why the hell do you keep staring at me; I know I'm hot dude, but come on." Sasuke said. He smirked a little at the look on Sakura's face as he said so. He knew that one word was going through her mind at the moment: conceited.

The guy's face retorted into one of annoyance. "I wasn't staring at you, you asshole, I was staring at the reflection of my beautiful girlfriend." Atsushi said.

"Oh Atsushi, I'm afraid that I'm no longer your girlfriend." Ami spoke up as she believed that Atsushi was talking about her.

"Not you A –Ami, what are you doing here?" he said as he finally noticed her. "Whatever, the point is that I was staring at Sakura's reflection; not yours." He said.

Ami felt anger fill her. Ino, who was still snip, snip, snipping away held back the laugh she wanted to let out as Ami's face turned a little red from anger. Already she could see that many other salon employees and customers were looking at the little scene that was going on. Yep, this was definitely gonna be talked about for a while, maybe even more than she expected.

"What do you mean how long have I been here; I've been here the _entire_ time you idiot." Ami said as she dug her nails into the armrest of the chair. "And another thing, this is the slut you dumped me for?" she said.

"Sakura's not a slut," Atsushi started. "You were the slut." He finished.

"_Shit!" _Sakura screamed in her mind as he said that. This was gonna cause one hell of a scene. Wait, what did she mean _was_, it already _is_ causing a scene! She looked around and saw that people were avoiding using loud objects so that they could hear in on the conversation.

This time Ami stood up. Ino had managed to pull away the scissors and comb before she made a mistake. She placed them in the pouch of her black, sleek apron and watched the scene unfold. _"Sakura's in her own personal hell right now." _she thought.

"What did you just call me?" Ami asked Atsushi furiously as she now stared him in the eyes.

"A slut; truth hurts, don't it?" Atsushi said. Sakura couldn't help but giggle a little. This was a whole new side to Atsushi that she hadn't seen before. And in a way, she liked it; he was so funny like this.

"If I'm such a slut, then why the hell did you go out with me for so long?" Ami asked as she placed her hands on her hips and had a brown eyebrow raised. So her hair was originally brown; ha, both she and Ino knew that it was dyed.

"A bet." Atsushi answered. This caused all sort soft whispers to appear from all over the salon. Ami stared at him wide-eyed for a moment.

"What?" Ami asked furiously.

"The guys and I made a bet; it was that if I could go eight months dating the biggest whore on campus, they'd give me $100 each, but if I couldn't, I'd pay them." he said. "I lost that bet by only managing to go out with you for two months, but it was worth it," he pulled Sakura little closer to him. "Because now I have Sakura, and she's a better girlfriend then you'll ever be."

"_Maybe I should call an ambulance?" _Ino thought as she saw the murderous look in Ami's eyes. She knew that that look could only lead to one thing and was certain that Sakura wouldn't stop until the girl was lying in a pool of her own blood with herself as the victor. _"It'll sure save me a hell of a lot of time." _

"_So he doesn't think I'm easy after all," _Sakura thought as she reviewed Atsushi's previous comment. _"He's dating me because he likes me… he really, really likes me." _she thought as a smile crossed over her face. There goes one thing off her back.

"You little…" Ami started. She was twitching her fingers furiously as the mere thought of killing both Atsushi and Sakura at the same time brought a sadistic pleasure to her. Then she turned to look at Sasuke –out of nowhere- with a furious look on her eyes. "Why the hell aren't you defending me Sasuke? I'm your fucking girlfriend for fuck's sake!" she shouted angrily at him. He should be defending her honor –at least, what little of it she had left-, and not just watching her be humiliated by some pink-haired freak and her ex-douche-of-a-boyfriend!

Sasuke, who had been hoping to be kept out of the situation, moved a little in his spot. The scene was highly entertaining to watch. The only thing that got on his nerves was how that guy just… kept touching Sakura and talking about her and calling her his _girlfriend_. That's the only thing wrong with the scene; other than that, everything else is pretty awesome.

"Hn," he said. He watched as Mai's eyes almost flickered red and he sighed out. He knew that to keep the charade up, he'd have to defend her. This was gonna be hard. "Don't talk about my girlfriend that way." He said with very little enthusiasm.

"You're girlfriend," Atsushi said as he looked from a smirking Ami to an emotionless Sasuke. "Not only are you a complete jackass but you're an idiot as well. Don't you know how much of a whore she is?" he said just to get on Sasuke's nerves.

"I guess you're right; I mean, if anyone in this world would be able to spot a whore, it would be you considering your mom." He said.

"_Damn!" _Ino screamed at her mind. Oh this was just too good to be true. Man, Tenten and the others are missing out on this; they'll be so pissed later. _"I really should call an ambulance." _She was about to reach for her phone when she stopped half-way. _"Eh, I'll wait until there's blood." _She didn't want this to was just too awesome of a scene. God, someone better be videotaping this or she'll be pissed later on.

Sakura felt like running. This was beginning to go too far. Sasuke was into this now and when he starts something, he always ends it with bloodshed. Even when he and Naruto used to play fight, one of them would always end up with some part of their body blooding; but mostly their noses. She bit her bottom lip in anticipation of what was gonna happen next; a wave of anxiety filled the air.

Sakura gulped down her saliva at the looks that both Atsushi and Sasuke were throwing at each other. Hatred was so clear in their eyes that a blind person could probably see it. She wrapped her arm around Atsushi's and squeezed it.

"Atsushi," she said gently. "Don't do anything-" but before she could finish her sentence Atsushi had gotten out of her grip and jumped Sasuke. The two began to fight.

"Oh my god!" she heard Ino yell. Quickly, she ran over to her friend and watched as both males rolled over the floor. Atsushi was at the bottom while Sasuke delivered a few blows. But somehow he managed to throw Sasuke down.

"Atsushi! Atsushi stop this!" she yelled as she tried desperately to stop her boyfriend from getting killed. She knew Sasuke's brute force. She knew that if she somehow didn't stop this, Sasuke would injure Atsushi to the point where he'll need to be hospitalized.

Sasuke delivered a blow to Atsushi's face, breaking the male's nose in the process. But somehow Atsushi managed to evade his next blow and he was thrown back by a force to his eye. He felt a tiny hint of pain but didn't stop. The loser was now on top of was trying to get a good grip at his neck while he continued to punch him. Sasuke grasped at Atsushi's hand while he kept moving his head so the male's knuckles would connect with the ground and not his face. Then, knowing that the male's legs were wide open, he quickly brought a knee up and jabbed him in between.

"Gah!" Atsushi cried out in pain at the assault to one of his most precious areas. He was so distracted by it that he hadn't noticed when Sasuke clawed his fingers from his neck and delivered a hard punch to his mouth. He fell back against the floor.

"Atsushi!" Sakura screamed as she watched Sasuke knock out her boyfriend. She quickly went to his side and dropped to her knees next to him. She started to study the injuries. They were bad, terribly, terribly bad; he'll need to head over to a hospital. She turned her head furiously towards Sasuke who wiped at his mouth and was getting up. "What the hell is your problem is your problem Sasuke?" she screamed.

"My problem," he said as he looked down at Sakura as she had her hands wrapped around the guy's head. "He was the one who fucking started it! Maybe you should open your goddamn eyes and see what he's really like Sakura!" he felt his eye. Yeah, it was swollen.

Sakura turned away from the Uchiha. She heard Atsushi groan and then started to help him up and off the ground. He had so many bruises on his face; a large dark purple blob on his cheek, a bloodied lip and not to mention the blow to his lower regions that must _really_ be painful. She helped him stand and used her body as support for him. His arm was around her neck while she held him up by placing her hands on his back and chest.

"God you're such an asshole Sasuke," she said as she managed to get Atsushi up with some of Ino's help. "Come on Atsushi, let's get you to a hospital." She said.

"I'll go with you." Ino said. She momentarily looked at the crowd and found the watchful eyes of her boss. The woman nodded and she knew that it was okay to leave work. "Someone needs to drive anyways."

"Thanks Ino." Sakura said. Slowly, the two helped the injured male to walk. They knew that it would take a while to reach Sakura's car, which was all the way back in the Student Parking Lot, but they also knew that it would be worth it if Atsushi managed to make it through without going into a coma.

Sasuke watched as the two females departed with the heavily injured male. He couldn't help but glare at the care and affection that Sakura was showing the guy. She couldn't actually be into him? But as he watched rub his back soothingly and a tiny tear prickle down her face, he was forced to come to the realization that yes, Sakura cared for Atsushi deeply.

He growled deep in his throat. The bastard attacks him and he's the one to get the attention? God, this situation just keeps getting better and better.

"Oh my god Sasuke-kun, that was so awesome!" Ami said. He turned towards her and saw that she had a bright smile on her face. "Thank you for beating him up for me," she was about to give him a kiss when she pulled back. "Oh, ew, you're all bloody. You should really get yourself cleaned up Sasuke-kun." she said.

Sasuke was glad that she had turned around when he shot her a menacing glare. The girl was infuriating to say the least. She thought that he did that for her, when in reality, he fought the guy to show him who's boss. Besides, he's been wanting to do that for a while now considering who the douche keeps touching Sakura and claiming that she's his. Whatever!

He growled a little before turning around and beginning to walk out of the salon. Today was sure some day. First, Naruto's getting bossed around by a bitch, then he sees the douche feeling up Sakura, then he got into a fight and finally, it seems like Sakura hates him now more than ever. This was a _huge_ step back in his plans.

"Eh, Sasuke-kun, where're you going?" He heard Ami shout, but he chose not to respond. Instead he made his way out of the salon and decided to head over to the nurse. Yep, definitely some fucking day.

* * *

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.

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* * *

Neji was tired. He had just driven four hours to his house just to solve an issue that could've easily been solved through the phone. But no, his father and uncle just _insisted_ that he came back and wouldn't take _no_ for an answer; the douches. He's so getting revenge on Hanabi for doing that.

He entered the very familiar café lodge. He was so tired and at the moment, all he needed was a good cup of coffee to get him back in gear. He knew that Tenten wouldn't be happy to see him there, especially after what he did to her all those weeks ago, but he really didn't give a crap about what she thought at the moment. He was far too exhausted to worry about her mood.

He stood in the line where three people were ahead of him. He couldn't help but wonder why this place was so freaking busy today; it usually isn't like this. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his brown leather jacket and waited patiently for it to be his turn. Once it was, he looked up at Tenten who had a glare on her face.

"What the hell do you want Hyuuga?" she asked with a less than friendly tone in her voice.

"A coffee, add cream and a hell of a lot of sweetener." He answered. He didn't try to flirt with her or be snide or anything. He just didn't have the freaking energy that day.

Tenten raised her pierced eyebrow at him. "That's it? No rude comment no… attempt at flirting? Just your order?" she half expected him to give up whatever charade it was that he was pulling and smirk. But instead he nodded his head and it worried her a little. "Are you alright Hyuuga? You seem… like hell." She said.

"And I probably look like it too, right?" he said. There was no smirk involved, just the same, tried look in his eyes. She nodded her head. "I know." He answered.

As much as she hated to admit it, Tenten was actually a little worried about Neji. He had bags under his eyes and he seemed like any second now he would drop. The mere thought of him just falling to the ground unconscious scared her a little.

"Uh… um… I'll… I'll uh, get your order." She said.

"What about the money? How much does it cost?" he asked. That's usually who it went. She would take the order, he would pay and then she'd get it.

"Huh? Oh yeah, the money, that comes out to $4.10." she said as she correctly punched in the number of the cash register next to her and looked at the number that showed up.

Neji, lifeless, pulled out a crumpled five dollar bill from his pocket and handed it to her. "Keep the change." He said in a dull monotone. She slowly nodded her head and placed the money inside of the machine.

"I'll get your order." She said as she turned around towards the coffee machine. She glanced back at him for a while and saw that he had laid his head on the counter and was closing his eyes. He seemed… tired. _"Poor guy,"_ she thought. Then she shook her head violently. _"What am I saying? He's fine; it's just a stupid trick… I'm sure of it."_ but she knew that that was a lie. Something was going on with Neji and she just had to know what.

She grabbed a foam cup as she started to prepare his order. She poured some of the coffee inside before adding some cream and a lot of sweetener, just like he wanted. That was also what got to her; he actually didn't want it black, like usual. She sighed out as she stirred the drink and then tapped the cap closed. She then placed a straw inside of it and headed back over to him.

"Neji," she said. She looked worryingly as he called out his name but saw that he seemed to have fallen asleep. She placed the drink down a few inches away and began to shake him awake. "Neji wake up, you're order's ready."

"Err, what?" Neji said as he started to wake up. He couldn't believe that in the few short minutes it took Tenten to get his drink, he had actually fallen asleep. "Tenten… what did you say?" he asked.

"I said that you're order's ready." She said as she watched him slowly regain his composure. She felt a bit sad for him; he really seemed to be dealing with something heavy on his mind. "Are you sure you're alright Neji?" she asked a little scared.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm… fine." He said. He looked over to where he drink laid and he grabbed it. He brought it to his mouth to take a sip. Tenten noticed who his hand shook a little.

"Don't lie to me," she exclaimed out of nowhere. Neji placed the drink back down after taking a good amount of it into his system and stared at her. Her cheeks were a little flushed with anger and her fingers were curled into fists. "Something's wrong with you Neji and you know it." she said.

"Why do you care?" he asked.

"Because… because…" she didn't know what to say. Deep down she knew that she still loved Neji, even with all his flirting an arrogant attitude. But it was her pride keeping her from admitting it. And she wasn't about to do that now, especially since she saw Yuu again today. "Because you're becoming a danger to not only yourself but everyone else around you." She said after a long pause of silence.

"How?" Neji asked.

"You're obviously sleepy. If you were to be out there, like that, you could cause some serious damage Neji. Now go take a seat at one of the booths and wait until my lunch break." She said.

"How… come…" Neji asked.

"I'm taking your ass back to your dorm so you can get some rest. Now go." she said. She watched as he sighed tiredly and grabbed his drink before heading over to a surprisingly empty booth. She couldn't help but smile a little as he did what she said without pestering her to keep to herself. She sighed as she looked at the clock. _"Just five minutes left and I can take him back to his dorm where'll he'll be safer in his state." _She thought.

She quickly went back to work. In the five minutes between start and finish, she had managed to complete two orders before somebody came to take her place and she was finally able to go over to the clock used for check-out and punched her card. She then made her way to the back and took off her apron once she reached her small locker that held her things. She untied the strings and placed them in, revealing her simple light pink t-shirt and wash blue jeans. She put the apron away and grabbed her jacket before rushing to the front of the lodge and finding Neji passed out again.

"Wake up Neji, time to go." she said. She shook him awake again and he let out a sigh before starting to get up. She noticed that his body must've felt like dead-weight at the moment.

"It's time to go already?" he asked as he took the last tiny slurp of his coffee before throwing it away in the trash can next to him.

"Yeah, now let's head back to your dorm." She said. She gently grabbed his arm and wrapped her own around it so that she could lead him fully. The action brought back a sense of nostalgia that she couldn't help but hate and yet like at the same time. Hate because, well… she was too close to him! And yet like because the warm feeling she got as she did so made her a little happy, which, once again, she didn't like!

They made their way out of the lodge and the cold air hit them. Tenten let out a breath as her jacket did half of its job. She started to lead Neji towards the self-proclaimed exit of the Shopping Area. They went up the few steps that where there, where Neji stumbled a little.

"Whoa, Neji, try to pay more attention." She said. She helped him up the stairs and couldn't help but feel the curious glances of the ones walking by.

"Eh, sorry, I thought that coffee would help." He said. Clearly the extra added sugar that he had wanted did absolutely nothing in making him the tiniest bit awake. He hoped that it would though.

"God you idiot, you should've ordered juice or something, coffee doesn't always help you know." She said as she lectured him a little.

He made no move to respond back but instead tried a little harder to be more aware of the surroundings. It wasn't long before they reached the turn that led to the dorms and started heading there. Tenten couldn't help but be glad about this. If she could manage to get him up there and asleep in ten minutes, she could still make it all the way back to the café lodge to have her lunch with Yayuki.

As they entered the doors of the middle building that connected the dorms, Tenten felt her pocket vibrate as her cell phone went off. She knew that she wouldn't be able to answer it without risking another little incident with Neji; she'll just explain herself later.

"Come on Neji, almost there." she said. They started to head over to the elevator on the male's side. "What floor do you live on?" she asked him as she pressed the one and only button that was there.

"Fifth," he responded just as the doors opened. "Room 514, the key's in my pocket." he said. The doors closed as Tenten pressed the fifth floor button and fished for the keys; she was glad that she found them in one try.

It was silent in the elevator as it went up, up, up. The minute long ride seemed like forever as they ascended the five floors from the lobby. When the doors, finally opened, Tenten made it a goal of hers to hurry them there. She only had five minutes left before it would be too late to join Yayuki for lunch. Both hers and Yayuki's lunch breaks were at different times. When she started hers, Yayuki's was already half over. And she needed to talk to the girl before she went back to work and was too busy.

They reached the dorm in a few more minutes and Tenten quickly opened the door. For a brief second, she wondered if his roommate was there so he could take him off her hands but was disappointed when she saw that it was empty.

"_Great," _she thought to herself as they made their way over to the bed closest to the door. She really didn't care if it was his or not. _"Now I might not even make it on time." _she said. "Here Neji, lie do-ow-n!" as soon as they were over the bed, Neji completely collapsed and trapped her under him. She started to squirm as she tried to wiggle free. "Neji, Neji can you hear me, get up." she said. But the peaceful look on his face showed that he had already fallen asleep and she was too paralyzed by his body to move.

She sighed out heavily as she looked at the clock. Three minutes left and counting. There was no way that she'd be able to make it to her and Yayuki's lunch break on time. And the reality really hit her once she felt Neji shift so that he was fully on the bed with her beside him and being held in his arms.

"_No lunch and no work… god I hope I can explain myself for this one tomorrow." _She said. She felt Neji's steady breathing against her neck and looked at the closed door. _"Hm, what have I gotten myself in to?"_

* * *

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* * *

She stayed completely silent as he finished telling her everything that he had seen go down between Kin and Miomi. She didn't know what to think or… say. She was just… so frozen with shock that at some point she could no longer walk and just took a seat on the floor with him next to her. Thank god they were in the back where no one could see them. She had her knees to her chest with her hands wrapped around them and her head on top of her knees. She knew that with this news, there was no way that she could take her break and have lunch with Tenten, so she had sent off a message telling her friends so not minutes ago.

"And… you think he's gonna do the same to me?" she asked after about ten minutes of silence in taking it in.

"Yeah, he's acting the same with you as he had done with her." Hitomi responded. He stole a glance at Yayuki to see that she drew her legs even closer to her, if that was even possible. "Yayuki, I know that this is a little hard for you to hear but-"

"Don't okay. Just… don't." she said softly. She didn't want him to speak. She just wanted to sit in silence. The things that he told her came back to her in a flurry.

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"_Same thing he's doing to you, he used her." Hitomi said._

_Yayuki looked at him in surprise. How could he just say that about Miomi? He wasn't using her, he loved her; he said so himself._

"_I don't believe you." She said after a little pause. "Miomi would never use me and besides, he and Kin had absolutely no relationship. I should know, Kin and I were like best friends, we told each other everything and she never mentioned him." she said with her hands on her hips._

"_She obviously lied to you Yayuki. I saw, everyone in the school saw what was going on between those two; you were on the only one oblivious enough to miss it." he responded. Honestly, he loved Yayuki and all, but even he had to admit that she was so slow sometimes._

"_Oh please Hitomi, stop making up your lies, you're not gonna get me to believe you." She said._

_Hitomi let out a deep, feral growl in his throat. "Yayuki, listen to me, the guy used her. He had sex with her and then threw her away." He said. "And he wants to do the same with you." Hitomi said._

_Yayuki let out a brief, fake laugh. "Oh, you're so funny. Like I'll actually believe that Miomi dated Kin just to sleep with her." Yayuki said._

"_Well you should because it's true." Hitomi said._

"_Oh yeah, prove it." Yayuki said as she challenged him. She saw who an unreadable look reached his eyes before he grabbed her and began to pull her to the very back of the store. She let him; she knew that he was taking her somewhere private before he told her everything. But she still couldn't shake off the feeling she got when he touched her._

"_Alright, listen," Hitomi said as he finished dragging her to the very back of the store where he knew no one would bother them. "You and Kin were close, right?" he said._

"_Of course, we were like sisters." Yayuki interrupted. _

"_Then you should've noticed all the freaking changes that she went through in the period that she and Miomi dated." He said._

"_Which would be…?" she said as she crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him as she waited for him to finish her sentence._

"_Sometime between March and April." He said. It scared and annoyed him that he actually managed to remember that._

"_How do you know that?" Yayuki asked._

"_I don't know, but that's not the point," he said as he quickly changed the subject. "The point is that in the beginning, Miomi started to flirt with Kin but he was cautious to not do it around you."_

"_Why?" she asked._

"_I'll tell you later. So, after about a week of flirting, they finally went out and continued going out for three weeks before they both went to some party together and the next day broke-up." he paused to let out a breath. "Did Kin tell you anything about that?" he asked._

"_Um, no; all she said was that she was going to a party." Yayuki responded._

"_Hm, figures, she didn't want you to know because Miomi made her swear not to tell you." He said._

"_But why would Miomi want to keep it a secret from me; this doesn't make sense Hitomi." Yayuki said as she started to become skeptical of everything that he was saying._

"_I told you, I'll tell you in a little while," he said. Yayuki rolled her eyes and then sighed out and moved her hand as she signaled him to continue. "Anyways, the next day they had a huge blowout in the cafeteria, which you weren't present so you never saw, and Kin stomped out and Miomi followed." He let out another sigh; this retelling was getting on his nerves, he felt like a gossip-girl._

"_Then what happened?" Yayuki asked. She still didn't see where Hitomi was trying to prove his point. So what if Miomi and Kin dated? So what if they had a fight after coming back from some party? That was typical relationship problems, nothing special there._

"_Well, since I needed to get something from my locker, I heard the two when they made their way noisily down the hallway. They didn't seem to know of my presence and continued with their fight." Hitomi continued._

"_Hold on, if you were in the hallway, how did you know that they had a fight in the cafeteria?" Yayuki asked. She was picking up anything that sounded suspicious to her._

"_Yayuki, please, this was the most talked about thing at school for weeks, it would've been impossible for me to not pick up the details I missed." He said. "Now can I continue?" he asked a little annoyed at her sudden intrusion._

"_You may, but you better get to the point soon Hitomi." Yayuki said as she grew tired of hearing this boring story._

"_Turns out that at the party, they had sex and when Kin woke up a few hours later, she made her way home but on the way stopped at the Pharmacy to pick up a pregnancy test… which came out positive." He said._

_Yayuki's eyes widened. She couldn't believe what he just said. Did he… did he just say that Miomi… her boyfriend Miomi… had gotten Kin… one of her best friends… pregnant?_

"_W-what?" she stuttered out._

"_She got pregnant Yayuki, from your new boyfriend. And the thing is that she actually kept the baby. You're dating a baby's daddy." He finished. And that's when she went into her shock._

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She sobbed a little as she kept replaying his last sentence in her mind. She couldn't be dating another child's father… could she? She bit back her sob as she tried to find any faults in the situation. If Miomi had a child, she would know about it. It would certainly be in his body language.

"I still don't believe you…" she said after another long pause of silence. "Miomi can't have a child because he doesn't act like it. Besides," she bit back another possible sob. "It still doesn't make sense why he doesn't want me to know any of this."

"Do you honestly believe that I'd make this sort of shit up Yayuki?" Hitomi said.

"Y-yes…?" she sounded so unsure of herself because she was. She knew that Hitomi wasn't a liar. Which made everything he said hit her even harder because of the large possibility that it was real.

"No, you don't, you know it, I know it, we know it that I never would. Stop fooling yourself and open your eyes. You're boyfriends a father." He said.

She choked out a sob as he heart wrenched a little. She knew that she didn't love Miomi, but she had found such solitude in him that it hurt to hear these things. She thought that Miomi would be the one to give her back her life, when in reality… he was just making it tear into pieces little by little.

"But why," she started as a few tears slid down her eyes. "Why would he keep it from me?" she asked. Her voice showed just who much in pain she was that another person in her life was tearing her world apart that hours ago, seemed completely perfect.

"Simple; he wants to do the same to you. He wants to have sex with you Yayuki until the point where you're carrying his child and he feels like dumping you." The mere thought of _his_ Yayuki carrying another man's child filled him with pure anger. He would not let that happen; ever.

She started to sob louder and louder. Would Miomi really do that to her? Would he get her pregnant just so he can dumper her and leave her to bear with all the responsibilities of having a child by herself? No, he… he wouldn't do that but… Hitomi… he's never lied to her; okay yes when he said that he didn't love her but that's what made her so certain that Hitomi was telling the truth… he loved her. And she knew that he didn't want to see her get hurt, which was why he was telling her all of that.

"Hitomi," she said after another heart-wrenching sob. He made a noise to show that he was listening. "If… if you were in Miomi's shoes, and you were dating me but knew that you already had a child with another girl..." the thought hurt so much. "Would you tell me before we went out… or let me find out like this?" she asked with a weak voice.

He thought about her question or a moment; and as soon as he had his answer, he pulled her body into his. She had let go of her knees and was now sitting on his lap. His arms were around her waist and his head in the crook of her neck.

"I never would've dated you in the first place. I would've accepted my responsibilities as a father and kept them as my moral code." He answered. And at his answer, she started to cry, fully, fully cry.

"Hitomi," she said as she buried her head in her hands. His answer showed that he really did care. He cared so much about not hurting a girl's feelings. He didn't say something like, _"Yes, I would've told you from the beginning." _No, his answer showed that he was a guy among guys; one of the few that accept even responsibility thrown at him through carelessness and lust. And he used to be her guy among guys.

She continued to sob into her hands. He held her tighter until she turned around and shifted on top of him to the point where she was straddling him. Her eyes were still glistening with tears and the streaks were visible on her slightly tanned face. His legs were in between hers and her hands were on his chest as she used it to support her body up.

"Yayuki," he said. And at the sound of her name coming out of him mouth again, she leaned in and captured his lips. Immediately he felt his heart skip a beat at the wonderful contact. He moved his hands from her waist to her hips as he tried to bring her in closer. She was seated on his legs and had her hands against his chest as they continued to make-out.

She moaned into the kiss as his tongue invaded her mouth. Immediately she felt all her sorrows go away at the feel again. Normally she wouldn't be doing this with him, she wouldn't have even moved her lips like the last time he kissed her, but this time was different. She was heart-broken; in pure shock that another man in her life had managed to make her crumble so easily. And she needed comfort, she needed solace from someone, anyone; and the one person she could've thought of was the very man that caused her into the arms of the second.

She pulled back after she felt the desperate need for air. The kiss was just as amazing as all the other ones that they've ever shared. It made her forget her current worries and made her want him desperately. But she wouldn't give into her temptation. She only needed comfort; she didn't want that leading to sex.

Hitomi looked into her eyes. His hands were still on her hips and on a bare piece of flesh that appeared when she sat down on his legs. Her chest was pressed up against his and he could feel the heat radiating off her body. Her cheeks were flushed and she was breathing through her mouth. He himself was having a tough time regaining his breath and trying to keep control of his hormones. He knew how close he was to having her again; her vulnerability was a huge step up. But he wouldn't take advantage of her like that. He wanted her to be ready when she became his again; not catch her on the rebound.

"Hitomi," she said softly as she rested her head on his neck. It was turned sideways and she looked at the wall.

"Yeah?" he asked as he held her tight against his body.

"Thank you… for protecting me but… I don't think that if it had been anyone else, that they would've told me at all. I don't think anyone else would've cared as much as you to do so." she asked.

"You're welcome." He murmured.

She shifted a little and took in his scent. The cologne he wore drove her completely mad. She just wanted so badly to be bathed in that scent and to wake up the next day right next to him and in his warm embrace. But she couldn't; not that there was anything physically stopping her now, but more emotionally stopping her. She didn't want to rush into a relationship again, especially with Hitomi, just to whine up broken again.

But for the moment, she snuggled in closer to him and enjoyed the position that they were currently in. He was so warm and she felt so safe. The sound of his beating heart calmed her down and she sighed out in content. She wished the moment would never end.

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And that's the seventh chapter; wow, there was a lot of drama in this one. I decided to end this one on a good note because… well… something good to happen because of all the drama that went on in it. And just so you know, yes, I am aware that there was very little Ino and Shikamaru in this, but Ino had to help Sakura with her beaten-up boyfriend and Shikamaru… he, he had a date with Kameko or whatever. Now, just to clear something else up, they are not hooking up now. There is no way that I'm letting those two, or any of them really, hook up now. I've already picked the perfect time and am not about to screw it up; although, each of their relationships did just make it over a huge cliff. And yep, Sasuke is having a tough time with Sakura while the others are gaining the girls back a little easier. What can I say? I've decided to make Sakura more of a challenge because this does focus mainly on her and Sasuke. So, I hope you enjoyed and you better review… please.

Xoxoxo Chibi Star Vamp


	8. One Hell of a Sunday: Part 2

Yay, a new chapter! And best of all, it's part 2 to the last one that honestly, held so much freaking drama that I actually had to watch a novela to calm down. I can't believe how fast I'm able to update now that all my stories are in mega motion and I have an idea for a new Sasuke and Sakura story that will probably be released before the office fic that I will write for the couple once this one reaches fifty reviews. Only eleven more to go! So… please review!

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I wouldn't be doing this. Instead I'd be figuring out ways to make it more kick-ass and have Sasuke like Sakura in the tiniest of hints. I only own this story, the one that led to this and my characters.

Reviews

sakura-cherrytree- thanks for the compliment; I'm glad you think that it keeps getting better each chapter. That's kinda what I always aim for. And I'm ecstatic that I keep hitting the bulls-eye.

Tsuki no Sakura-11- awesome, you think it's… awesome! Atsushi is not a bad guy; he's just the guy keeping Sakura from going back to Sasuke. Oh wait… I guess that in a way… he is a bad guy… OMG! But really, he's just her boyfriend at the moment; a supporting character.

rocky1980- yeah, Hitomi is a nice guy, but just to Yayuki, because he likes her, to everyone else he's like… Red from _That 70s Show_. And yep; Sasuke and Sakura drama. It's gonna be hard for him to get her back now especially after what he did to Atsushi. And don't worry I'll keep entertaining you and all thank you very much for calling my writing beautiful; I really appreciate it.

Sasukeuchiha1101- I left you speechless… cool! And to be honest, I wanted to make her help Sasuke instead of Atsushi, I really did but… it would kinda go against the plot for a moment… boo! I'll do my best to update faster and it's amazing that you can't get over it; I hope you feel the same about this chapter.

xWhite Wolf Fang Godx- glad you love it and here you go!

Enjoy!

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2 hours later

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"Damn that Sasuke," Sakura cursed out loud as she watched from a window while the doctor started to tend to Atsushi's wounds. "He's such an asshole… ugh! I can't believe he did that to Atsushi!" she shouted.

"Sakura calm down," Ino said as she looked at the numerous eyes that had turned their attention to both her and her pink haired friend. "We're at a hospital remember; you can't just let out your fury here." She said.

Sakura took in a deep inhale of breath before letting it out as she tried to calm down. "I know that Ino but it's just that…" she stopped talking and stayed silent as she saw Atsushi flinch while the ENT checked if he had any broken cartilage that might need surgery to reposition it back in place. "He had no right you know. He should've just… minded his own business. But if it weren't for that stupid Ami…" she continued.

"I know, I know," Ino said. She placed her hand over Sakura's clenched fist. "But at the same time Sakura, you have to remember that Atsushi jumped Sasuke first." She said.

Sakura turned her head quickly to Ino. Her pink tresses flew in a flurry at the sudden, fast movement before they fell back against her body. She saw the pure anger in Sakura's eyes and for a moment, Ino thought that they would flash red.

"Are you defending him?" Sakura asked with obvious annoyance. "How can you be defending that… that… _Uchiha_? You're my friend Ino! You're supposed to be defending Atsushi not Sasuke!" she exclaimed.

Ino looked at Sakura. She knew that at the moment, Sakura was consumed with obvious anger and hatred towards Sasuke. Her emotions were on overload at the sight of her beaten-up boyfriend and she knew that Sakura was only acting on rage… she wasn't thinking. But that doesn't mean that she'd let Sakura talk to her like that.

"I'm not defending Sasuke," Ino said. "I'm simply stating the obvious that you seem to be forgetting about because you're too caught up in your anger!" Ino exclaimed back at her best friend.

They were both quiet as they stared each other down. Sakura's eyes were filled with her emotions and Ino saw all of the ones going through them; hatred, anger, sadness, annoyance… pain. So many filled them and took over Sakura's rational thinking. Ino sighed out. She wasn't about to get into a fight with her best friend; especially now of all times.

"Sakura, just… calm down," Ino said softly. "There's no need to yell. The doctor is looking over at Atsushi and I'm sure things will be fine. We shouldn't fight over this; it's not worth it." she finished.

Sakura looked into Ino's blue eyes. She seemed genuinely concerned and the sight made her sigh out.

"You're right Ino… I'm sorry for yelling at you." Sakura said.

Ino smiled. "It's alright." She said. Just then the doctor stepped out of the room. He looked at both girls who stared at him.

"Your friend will be fine. All he had was some minor swelling and will just needs some pain killers. He should revert back to normal within an hour or so." the middle-aged man said.

Sakura felt relief hit her. "So he won't need surgery or anything?" Sakura asked. She had been scared to think that because of Sasuke, Atsushi would have to go into surgery just to fix his nose.

"Nope, no surgery required. All he has is some bent cartilage that in due time, will fix itself." the doctor said. "I'll be back with a prescription for him." he stated. Then he left with chart in hand to go tend to his other patients. And then, after he's checked on three or so, he'll come back with the prescription for the young boy.

Sakura felt relief hit her. She had been so worried sick over him. And she knew that it was just a small injury but… she had been so afraid of how much force Sasuke had used to break her boyfriend's nose. She knew who strong Sasuke was and how his anger fueled his strength. For all she knew, he could've completely smashed it, never to be repaired again. But she was glad that that hadn't ended up being the case.

"Ah see, I told you everything would turn out alright." Ino said as she looked at the clearly happy face of her best friend.

"I know," Sakura said. "Thank Ino and… sorry for how I acted earlier. I was just-"

"I know," Ino said as she cut Sakura off. "And I understand. I'd act the same way if my boyfriend ever got his nose broken." She as she completely understood Sakura's situation. "You go in and check up on him while I call the girls and fill them in on this. They're probably wondering why we didn't show up for our lunch today." Their lunch was set for… she checked the nearest clock… two and a half hours ago! The girls must be worried sick about them.

"Okay Ino, thanks." Sakura said. She watched as her blonde left for a more private area to talk to the girls. She then looked back at the door and took in a deep breath before opening it and entering the room. "Hey Atsushi, how're you feeling?" she asked as she closed it behind her.

Atsushi turned his head to look at her from his position on the white medical bed. He had his hand holding a bag of ice to his nose with a sheet under it so he won't get frostbite. His eyes started to shine as he looked over at his pretty, and concerned, girlfriend.

"Hey Sakura," his voice sounded a little navel. "I'm doing fine now, thanks for asking." He said.

She came over to him and stood at his side. "And your… _other _injuries?" she asked as she referred to the kick in the groin that she had seen Sasuke deliver.

He laughed a little. "Fine as well. Didn't hurt that much because the doctor said it was more centered to my thigh, avoiding _there_." he said. "And everything else is just small wounds and scratches, you know, things that will go away in a few days." He finished.

She sighed out. "Oh good; I'm glad that you'll feel better soon." She said. "Here, let me hold it; you're hand must be tired." She said. She placed her hand over Atsushi's and he removed his from his nose. Sakura held the ice pack to it.

"Thanks Sakura," he said softly. "I'm sorry I had to ruin our date by overreacting. I know that this was the last way you expected to spend the rest of your Sunday like." he felt remorseful for not listening to Sakura and taking on that douche instead.

Sakura shook her head. "It's okay Atsushi. Our date was just a way of me spending time with you, and I'm doing that right now so no need to apologize." She said as she tried to brighten the mood.

Atsushi couldn't help but laugh at this. Sakura giggled as well. It may not have been the best Sunday date of her life, but it was certainly the most… exciting.

* * *

"Are you kidding me?" Ino said as she removed her phone from her ear. She looked at the Caller ID of the number she had dialed before ending the call. "What is with these two today?" she asked to herself. She had just finished calling Tenten, who didn't pick up. And Yayuki, who she called first, didn't pick up either.

Sighing, she hit her speed dial #4; Hinata.

"_If Hinata doesn't pick up, I'm killing them all later."_ She thought. She placed the phone to her ear as it started to ring. _"Pick up, pick up." _she thought.

"**Hello?"**came the sweet voice of Hinata from the other end. She sighed out in happiness; glad that she wouldn't become a murderer at her young age.

"Hey Hinata, it's me Ino." She spoke into the phone.

"**Hi Ino; I was just about to call you."**Hinata said through the phone.

"Oh really, why?" Ino asked.

"**Well, I wanted to explain myself for not being able to attend the lunch. I was busy at work and had to deal with a new… issue."**Hinata said.

This piqued Ino's curiosity. "You didn't go to lunch? I thought you and the others did. I was calling to tell you the reason why we weren't there." Ino said.

"**Really, you didn't go either? How come?"**Hinata asked. Ino heard barking through the phone.

"Well I had to drive Sakura and Atsushi to the hospital." Ino said. She leaned against the wall of the hospital. She was near the Parking Lot where she had parked Sakura's car.

"**Oh no, what happened?"**Hinata asked. **"Did Sakura get hurt? Did Atsushi get into an accident or something?"**she knew that with the fact that he was a skater, Atsushi liked doing dangerous tricks. And because she was no dating him, he's been teaching Sakura how to skateboard as well. And Sakura wasn't exactly the best of skateboarding novices.

"Calm down Hinata, there was just a… tiff at the salon today." Ino said.

"**A tiff… what happened there?"**Hinata asked.

"Well… I was just beginning to do Ami's hair when Atsushi showed up to pick Sakura up for their date. Turns out that Atsushi used to date Ami because of a bet, which he lost so that he could go out with Sakura. And then Sasuke arrived, well, things spiraled out of control when insults were thrown and the next thing everyone knew, Atsushi and Sasuke were fighting on the floor!" Ino exclaimed.

"**No!"**Hinata said as if she couldn't believe what she just heard from Ino. **"I can't believe they started fighting… So then what happened?"**she wasn't exactly in to gossip, but her curiosity was just too high for her to control herself.

"Oh Hinata, you should've been there. Sasuke delivered such a punch to Atsushi's nose that as soon as Sakura pulled him off of Atsushi, we rushed him here. But everything's okay. His nose isn't broken or anything. He just needs pain killers." Ino said as she finished the tale.

"**Oh that's good,"**Hinata said. **"So how is Sakura dealing with all of this? I doubt that she's okay with the fact that Sasuke got Atsushi sent to the hospital."**Nothing was worst then seeing your boyfriend get a beat-down from your ex-boyfriend. Well, plenty of things were worst than that, but it's still not a good thing.

"Oh she _hates_ Sasuke now." Ino said as she added emphasis to hate. "Just a few minutes ago she nearly blew her top when she thought that I was defending Sasuke for what he did to Atsushi." Ino said. She took in a breath of air. "But she's calmed down now, although, I have a feeling that this is just the start of problems between her and Sasuke.

"**I have that feeling too."**Hinata said. Loud barking erupted from the other end of the line. **"Oh Ino I'm sorry but I have to go; there're a couple rambunctious puppies here that –hey, that's not nice. You need to share."**She heard Hinata say.

"It's okay Hinata," Ino said. "I'll call you back later or stop by the Boutique when you have more time." Ino said.

"**Thank you for understanding Ino; and tell Atsushi that I said I hope that he gets better soon."** Hinata said.

"No problem, I will. Bye Hinata." Ino said.

"**Bye Ino."**Hinata said. And then the line cut off.

Ino removed the pink cellular device from her ear and ended the call. She stared at her wallpaper; a picture of her and Shikamaru back in high school when they had dated. She had her hands wrapped around his neck while he had his at his side and was looking away. But she could see the blush on his face.

She sighed out as she smiled sadly. _"Hm… I almost miss those times." _she then placed her phone back in her pocket before heading back over to the room.

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"Um, Hinata," Hinata turned her attention from examining a pet Gerbil that had been brought in a few minutes ago by a concerned pet owner, to Amaya who stood at the door. "I came to tell you that you have a new patient waiting. Are you done with the examination?" she asked.

"Almost, bring the new animal in." Hinata said. She saw the nervous look in Amaya's eyes. "Amaya… what's wrong?" she asked.

"Err… well it's just that… Naruto is already bringing him in but it's too… um… agh!" Hinata placed the Gerbil down as she went over to where Amaya was. There, she looked out the door and she felt her heart sink to her stomach.

"Oh my god." She said.

With widened-eyes and a face paler than usual, Hinata looked at her next patient… a large Boa Constrictor. She felt the same fear as Amaya as she looked at the serpent that had wrapped itself around Naruto and seemed to be squeezing him.

"Agh, urgh… I think… I think this thing is trying to _eat_ me." Naruto said. He felt more pressure on his body as the snake tried to squeeze him tight. It was hissing at him but luckily he had his arm gripped around the snake's head to prevent a bite.

"N-naruto," Hinata stuttered out. She saw the snake move more as it tried to tighten itself around Naruto. "H-hold on, I'll be right back." She said as her Veterinarian skills finally kicked in. "Amaya, do me a favor and get a large cage from the back." She said as she turned to the frightened platinum blonde.

"If it means you'll get this thing under control, I'll be right back." Amaya said as she sprinted down the right. It'll take a longer time to get to where the cages were but the shorter way was to the left, where the snake was, and she wasn't about to risk getting close to that thing.

"Naruto," Hinata said. "Hold on for just a few more seconds. I'm going to get something that should stabilize it and make it unconscious." Hinata said. She was so afraid of what might happen to Naruto if that snake manages to squeeze him more.

"O-okay Hinata-chan… I… I'll try." Naruto said. He stared into the Boa's pink month, its fangs were out and he could see the venom dripping down from them. He gulped down at the thought of those fangs sinking into his flesh.

Knowing that she couldn't hold out any longer, Hinata ran back into her office and headed over to where there were more vials. She quickly read through the labels for the proper anesthetic. Once she found it, she didn't waste time as she grabbed the vial and placed it on her desk. She quickly checked on the Gerbil to make sure that it was still there and just for a safety precaution, she placed it back inside its tiny cage. Then she went over to the shelf and grabbed the brown box marked _Needles_.

She grabbed it and went over to the desk where the anesthetic lay and quickly opened it. She pulled out a needle already attached to its syringe and quickly unwrapped it from its plastic and took the small, orange cover off the top.

"Hi-na-ta!" she heard Naruto yell from the hallway. His voice was strained and it only added to her sense of urgency.

"Hold on Naruto, I'm almost ready!" she shouted at him. She quickly injected the needle into the vial as she pulled back on it to make the liquid enter through the tiny microscopic hole at the top.

Once she saw that the container was filled to the brim, she held the syringe in her hand as she quickly made her way over to where Naruto was. She saw that his face was now pink and she knew that she had to do this quick before all the air is forced out of Naruto's body and he drops to the floor.

She quickly found a spot on the Boa and made the needle pierce its skin. The Boa hissed out at the sudden intrusion to its body. She pushed down on the needle as she moved the top down so that the anesthetic would go inside. She made sure that the spot was over a main muscle. The anesthetic was a fast acting one and she saw how the snake's tail started to droop a little and how it seemed to stop moving altogether until it became unconscious.

"There, that should do it." Hinata said calmly as she removed the needle from the Boa's skin and watched as Naruto took in large gasps of much-needed air.

"Phew," Naruto said. "That was a close one." He said as he felt the sudden weight of the Boa hit him full force. He kept his hand around its neck in case it wakes up sooner than expected and used his other to keep the large reptile up.

"Yes, it was." Hinata added.

"Hinata! I've got the cage!" they both looked down the hall to see Amaya running with a large enough cage in left her hand; her fingers gripped tightly around the handle.

"Good," Hinata said as the young girl reached her and Naruto, and started panting heavily. "Bring it in and I'll help Naruto place the Boa inside." She stated. Amaya nodded her head as she disappeared behind her office door. Hinata went to walk towards it as well and looked back to make sure that Naruto was following.

Once inside, she placed the needle on top of her clip board and then went over to where Amaya had placed and opened the cage. She waited while Naruto reached their position and started to place the immensely large reptile inside. They pushed it in so that all of it fit inside and then with its head on top of its curled body, they closed the cage door, locked it with the key attached to the lock and made sure that it was securely shut.

"There." Hinata said. She wiped some of the sweat off of her forehead. It had accumulated there from her nerves acting up so much and her heart was beating a mile a minute. "Thank you for getting the cage Amaya." Hinata said as she looked at the blonde girl.

"It was the least I could do Hinata." Amaya said. She then fixed some of the loose strands of hair on her face. "Now if you'd excuse me, I have to head back to the Receptionist's desk. Good luck with your new… _patient_ Hinata." she then gave a small smile and waved to Naruto before nearly running out of the room. She was obviously still frightened by the beast within the cage.

Hinata then turned her sight from the door towards Naruto. Naruto was sweating more than all of them, his hair a little disheveled, his cheeks still red and his mouth open as he took in more and more gasps of air.

"Naruto," she said as she got closer to him. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Naruto looked at Hinata. Trying the best he could, he grinned but it only ended up with the tip of his mouth being up. "I'm fine Hinata-chan, really, I am." He said. He took in another gasp of air. That Boa had really taken a lot of air out of him even though it didn't succeed in killing him.

Hinata gained a look of sadness and worry on her face. "Naruto, maybe you should sit down and rest a little until you feel better." She said.

"No Hinata-chan, really I'm-"

"Naruto don't like to me." Hinata said as she interrupted him. "I never like it when you lie."

The look on her face was enough to make Naruto feel low… really,_ really_ low. He sighed out as he nodded his head at her suggestion. He didn't want to make her any more upset than she already was. And sometimes trying to act all tough in front of the girl you like was really just a waste of time.

"Okay Hinata, I'll sit down and take a breather." He said. He watched as her lips curled up in a smile that made his heart produce one large beat showing that he had skipped one.

"Good Naruto, I'll come back with a cup of water for you to drink from. It might help you regain your breath faster." She said. She turned around and headed over to the water cooler placed in the room for not only her thirsty patients, but also for herself and moments like these.

She grabbed one of the white cups there and placed it under the nozzle with the blue top the delivered ice cold water. She waited until it was filled up to a good amount and then released the pressure of her finger on the nozzle. She then turned around and looked back to Naruto who was staring at her with a clear look of adoration in his eyes.

She blushed as she noticed this and then carefully made her way over to where he sat. She handed him the foam cup filled with water and felt her skin heat up a bit as his fingers lingered by hers.

"Thank you for the water… Hinata." Naruto said a soft and smooth voice. He saw her eyes widen a little as she pulled back from his touch quickly.

"Y-you're welcome Naruto." Hinata said. Then she turned around and made her way back over to the examination where the pet Gerbil was still kept in his cage.

Naruto silently sipped on his water as he watched her every, graceful move. He couldn't in everything she did as she helped the little animal. She was kinda, gentle, caring, and making sure that it was okay.

"_She'd make a great wife some day." _

* * *

He looked at her from across the room. She was unloading the last of the boxes filled with the new CDs. She had five of them in her hand and stood on the tips of her toes to reach the high shelf where he assumed was where they were meant to be. He smirked at this. She was so short.

He watched as she managed to slide the CDs in before lowering herself and standing flat against her feet. She was rummaging through the box when she suddenly stopped to look at him. He couldn't help but give her a soft smile and she returned it with a small smile and a gentle wave.

He walked towards her. "How's work Yayuki?" he asked as he now stood at the other end of the box.

"Same as it was five minutes ago; annoying." Yayuki responded. She raised her upper body so that it wasn't hovering over the few CDs left in the box but instead straightened her spine as she looked in the crystal clear eyes of Hitomi. "What about you; what brutal task has Monique given you?" she asked.

"None." He stated.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "None? She hasn't even asked you to move a pencil for her or anything?" she asked. He could hear the clear agitation in her voice.

"Nope; I've haven't done a thing since I arrived here." He said.

"So you've just been staring at me all this time?" she asked with a teasing grin on her face. Since their little moment about three hours ago, Yayuki's found that while she still wasn't ready to jump into a relationship with him, she still acknowledged Hitomi as an… acquaintance.

He smirked. "You're the only think I'm interested in looking at, Yayuki." He said in a low and husky voice. He saw her roll her eyes.

"Whatever," she said as she quoted his favorite word. "Well, since you're free and I'm still supposed to be teaching you the ropes, how about you give me a hand in organizing these CDs; or would you rather just do nothing and stare at my ass all day?" she asked.

"Is that an option?" he responded with a smirk that he knew she absolutely loved.

"No! Of course not! Just… shut up and grab the next box." She said as she pointed over to the pile of boxes that she had managed to move to the correct space. She was finished with four of the eight, _"Half way there." _she thought.

Hitomi chuckled at her response before he went over to the pile of three remaining boxes next to the counter. He grabbed one, saw that it was a little heavy but not even tapping into his strength, and placed it on a spot right next to Yayuki. He grabbed the knife that she used to open the boxes and ran it alongside the edges of the box as he got rid of the tape. Then he closed the switch blade and placed it back to the side.

He opened the box and looked at all the CDs with the spines facing up at him; allowing room for the total 100 discs and cases that made up its full quantity.

"So," he said as he grabbed the first one. "How am I supposed to do this?" he looked over at her only to see that she was struggling with getting another set up high on the top shelf. He placed the CD he had back in the box, with the cover facing upwards as he went over to the short girl.

He had his body pressed against hers from behind as he wrapped one hand around her waist and brought her closer to him.

"Let me help you with that." he whispered into her ear as he craned his neck lower and close to it.

Then he used his free hand and placed it over hers as he helped the petite girl place the CDs into the spot she wanted them. His larger hand completely covered hers and he leaned in closer to her neck.

"There." he said. He kept her hand against the shelf of CDs and made sure that her body was still close. From the side of his eye, he could see the blush tinting her cheeks and the way she looked down. Her chest rose in a mesmerizing way and couldn't help but wonder when he would see her bare again.

"Thank you." She finally said.

He felt her move as she removed her hand from under his and then turned around in his grip. She pushed him back and it hurt him a little that she still didn't want him really close. But of course, after what just happened with Miomi, he doubted that she'd just trust any guy; especially considering their past.

Yayuki cleared her throat. She could still feel her blood rushing at the intimate position that Hitomi had placed her in seconds ago. She regained her composure as she looked at him.

"Now, we should really get back to work or Monique might bite my head off for not having these CDs shelved." She stated.

Hitomi nodded his head. "Okay, so, to keep that from happening, what exactly am I supposed to do?" he asked. Already he missed her body being so close to his. She still felt like she fit there –like she belonged there; which she does.

"Simple," she said as she went over to the box he just opened. The CDs that just went up were the last of her box. She grabbed the one that he had left on top of the pile. "All you have to do is look at the name of the CD by musician, then you place them in alphabetical order on the shelf." She stated. "The CDs are already in alphabetical order in the box, but by album name and not musician, so it's your job to sort through them and-"

"Hitomi!"

Yayuki flinched at the sound of the all too familiar voice. She stopped her explanation as she turned her head to look over at her boss, Monique, excitedly make her way over to the pair.

"_Dammit Monique!" _she screamed in her mind. Now, not only will she be forced to organize the rest of the boxes by herself, but she won't be able to be allowed anywhere near Hitomi. And to think that four hours ago she would've loved that but now… she wasn't so sure; which was dangerous in its own.

"Hey Hitomi, how's the first day going?" Monique asked as she arrived at where the two were stationed. She kept her gaze on Hitomi as she gave off a sweet smile.

"_What a faker." _Yayuki asked. She knew that if Hitomi wasn't anywhere near her, Monique would be chewing her out for not having completed her task that she had been given at the start of work, which was _hours_ ago.

"Normal." Hitomi said.

"Oh that's good," Monique said as she began to bat her eyelashes. "So Hitomi, you've been working here for about three hours now and I think you deserve a break. So how about you and I head over to the Lunch Area while Yayuki here finishes up her assignment." Monique said. The last part showed the anger that she held for her female employee who had not finished unloading the boxes.

"No thanks; I'm good." Hitomi said. He wanted to roll his eyes and tell the girl off but he had a feeling that that might get him fired.

"Are you sure? You've been working awfully hard today." She said as she tried to convince him to go on a lunch date with her even though 12 o'clock passed a hell of a long time ago.

"Positive." He answered.

Yayuki held back her snicker. The disappointed look on Monique's face showed that she was obviously crushed at the fact that Hitomi didn't want to spend some time with her.

"Okay, fine," she said. "Keep working like a dog, I'll be back in half an hour to check on your work and if these boxes aren't unpacked, you're going down Yayuki." Monique said as she started to glare at the black-haired-rainbow-streak girl. "Bye Hitomi." She said sweetly before she turned back around and walked away; swaying her hips in a seductive motion to try and get Hitomi's hormones started.

Hitomi snorted. "She's annoying." He said.

"I can't stand her." Yayuki added. He turned his gaze to her and saw that she was glaring intently at Monique's back. "She's like… a second Minamo; well the bad version of Minamo since she's apparently good now." Yayuki said.

"Hm," Hitomi said. He let his eyes roam over her body. He never got tired of looking at her. She was so… amazing to him that he felt like he could stare at her all day.

She continued to start placing CDs into the shelves as she ignored his lack of an answer. She was used to it by now and it really didn't bother her as much as it had done before. Hitomi stopped staring and started to work as well. He looked at the name of the musician or band on the CD and then went over to the beginning of the shelf where all the A's were.

"Speaking of the Kirukaze family," he said as he placed the CD inside an empty slot that was directly where it should be. "What are you going to do about Miomi?" he asked her. He was so curious to know if she would dump him or not. She probably will; Yayuki wasn't the type of girl that would date a baby's father… without knowing of course.

Yayuki stopped placing CDs into the shelf as a sad look reached her face and she let her hand glide down the glass spines of the CDs already placed correctly into the shelf.

"I don't know." She answered softly.

* * *

.

.

.

* * *

She groaned as she twisted. Her hands unconsciously brought something covering her closer to her body as she moved around and sighed out as she tried to sink back deeper into her subconscious. She groaned as she felt something against her face. She moved around more but it was like the thing was following her.

"Ngh, go away." She groaned out as she kept twisting and turning. She felt it against her face again and moved her hand from under its bondage to try and swat the thing away.

"Tenten." she heard. She groaned as she heard this and continued to move her hand across her face.

"Go away." She groaned again. She stopped her actions and brought whatever was over her body higher up so that it could cover her head. She obviously wanted to continue sleeping.

"Tenten, wake up." she heard.

"No! Go away!" she shouted. But as hard as she wanted the nuisance to go away, she knew that it wouldn't. And because she was actually starting to hear and feel things again, she knew that she was far from falling asleep now.

She groaned as she moved her covering from her hand and slowly started to open her eyes. She blinked as her vision started to come back to her and the fuzziness that she saw lessened with each long stroke of her eyelashes.

"Ugh," she groaned. "Where the hell am I?" she asked. She blinked and pulled the strands of hair that had accumulated on her face away from blocking her sight and hiding her chocolate brown eyes.

She ran a hand through her hair as she used the other to help raise her lower body higher up on where she lay. She was now sitting up and used both hands to straighten out her heavily messed-up hair. She stopped when she felt like it was as good as it could get and turned to look at the one who woke her from her slumber.

"Oh… my god." She said as she stared into the pearly eyes of her ex-boyfriend. "Neji… what the hell am I doing in your room?" she asked.

Neji didn't answer her; instead he raised the cup he had in his hand to his lips. When he woke up, he decided to find something to drink to help him feel better. He had gone down all the way to the Lunch Area just to get some Herbal Tea that has actually helped him.

He removed the substance from his lips and looked at her. "You brought me here, remember?" he said. She turned her head a little to the side in confusion. She looked cute like that. "After I arrived at the café the way I was, you made me wait until your shift was over to bring me here. Then I guess I couldn't stay awake anymore and just fell asleep." He said. He took another sip of his tea from the foam cup in his hand.

Tenten blinked a few times and looked down at the sheets on his bed as she registered everything that he said. She rubbed at her eyes to get rid of any sleep-boogers that could be there and then thought back to what happened earlier.

"Oh… yeah…" she said as realization hit her. "Oh man, I guess I must've fallen asleep as well." She stated as she took one last look around the room before her eyes landed on him. "So… you feeling any better?" she asked.

"Yeah," he paused to drink in some more tea. It was helping him a lot after that nap. "I feel a lot better; thanks for caring Tenten." he said.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on there bucko," Tenten said as she started to twist her body so that her feet hung off the edge of the bed. She removed the sheets from her form and placed her feet on the ground. "First of all, I did not care about you. I only did what I did because you were being a hazard and Hinata might chew me out if I let her cousin get himself killed from some hangover he got." She said.

Neji held back the urge to smirk. He could tell that she was lying. Tenten always tried to place one of her friends as the cause of her actions when she was lying. And using Hinata as his decoy would've worked… if he didn't know her so well.

"First of all, I wasn't hung-over; I was like that due to lack of sleep." He stated. "And second, I know you're lying Tenten. I can easily spot every lie you tell." He said.

Tenten snorted. "So what, you're half lie-detector now?" she asked with annoyance and sarcasm. Then she rolled her eyes. "Whatever Neji, you might think you know but you don't. I've changed in the past months and there's more to me than you'll ever figure out." She said. She started to stand from the bed.

Neji stood as well and nearly towered over her. She rolled her eyes at his intimidating presence. Then she raised both hands above her head as she stretched, only to be restricted by her jacket.

"So," she asked as she placed her hands down. "How long have I been out?" she asked.

"That depends; at what time did you make it here?" he asked her. He leaned against the wall that was there and continued sipping on his drink.

Tenten checked for the nearest clock. Noticing that there were none, she decided to check the time on her cell phone instead. As she grabbed the black device and flipped it open, she read the bold print on the screen.

* * *

**Two Missed Calls**

**12:57pm- Yayuki**

**3:56pm- Ino**

* * *

"I'm gonna go with…" she momentarily stopped to look at the current time on her phone; 4:26pm. "Twelve fifty-seven pm. It seems that Yayuki called me at that time and I did feel my phone vibrate when you fell on me." she said as she closed her phone and placed it back in her pocket.

"You sure that wasn't you getting turned on?" Neji asked with a ghost-of-a-smirk on his face. Tenten narrowed her eyes at him and he chuckled.

"Yes I'm sure it wasn't me getting turned on." she said. "I'm not some hormone-driven teenager Neji; I can control my body better than I could back in high school." She said.

"We'll see about that." he added. He finished up the rest of his drink and then started to head over to the door. He stopped when he was in front of her. "Because as much as you've changed, inside, you're still the Tenten I know… and I _intend_ to make you realize that." he was so close to her face that he could feel the heat radiating off of there.

Tenten kept herself still and her eyes hard. But if he looked a little lower, he would see her fingers clenched into fists as she tried to restrain herself the best she could. He was right; deep down, she still had the old Tenten in her; the Tenten that absolutely loved him in the short period that they dated in high school. But the Tenten has been locked inside her for months now and she was gonna keep it that way; even though she did come out when she saw him in distress earlier.

"You can try Hyuuga," she said as she finally found her voice. She turned her head towards him. "But you'll never suc-humph." She was taken aback by the sudden force of his lips on hers.

She took a few steps back but he let the cup drop to the floor as he moved in closer to her. He wrapped his strong arms around her waist as he brought her in closer. Tenten was still in so much shock that by the time she registered what he was doing, it was too late.

She could taste the delicious flavor of the tea that he had been drinking before. It was still fresh on his lips because he only finished drinking it seconds ago. Soon she had her hands on his shoulders as she tried to bring him in closer. Her body was taking over and her mental thinking ability was long gone the second his lips were on hers.

She moaned as she felt his tongue slip into her mouth. She pressed her body against his as she closed any space in between them. Neji took the opportunity to place a hand on her ass while the other was on her back, making sure that both upper and lower parts of her body were firmly against him. He moved the hand over her ass as he started to stroke her.

"What the hell." They heard. Neji stopped kissing Tenten as he looked over towards the door. There stood Shikamaru with Kameko draped over his arm. The couple stared at him and Tenten as they stayed in their embrace.

When Tenten's eyes landed on the couple, they immediately grew wide before she used her grip on Neji's shoulders to push herself away from him. Then, as anger filled her and took control of her body, she felt her hand strike Neji across the face.

"You sick asshole!" she yelled at him as she lowered her hand. "How dare you fucking kiss me! You have some nerve Hyuuga!" she yelled. Then she gave Neji a glare, who had his hand on his stinging cheek.

She grunted at him before starting to make her way out of the room. She made it to the couple who she gave a glare to and watched as they parted a way for her to let her leave. She nodded at them both before walking through the door and beginning to head down the hall. Her destination; her job. She was gonna try and save as much of it as she could.

Neji stayed silent as he rubbed the cheek that Tenten's hand had brutally and quickly swept across. He sighed out as his eyes landed on the couple at the door.

"That's got to be like the third time she's done that to me." he stated.

* * *

.

* * *

Sasuke growled at his reflection in the mirror of his dorm. His eyes set on the large white bandage on his cheek that was being taped down. He swears to god that if he ever sees that Atsushi punk again, he's killing him. Because of him, he has a stupid bandage over his cheek, proof that he wasn't as unhittable as he was made out to be in high school. And for that he absolutely _hated_ that guy; now more than ever.

He let out air through his nose like a bull ready to charge. With an anger-filled grunt, he started to make his way out of the bathroom of his dorm. Turning the lights off on his way out, he angrily made his way over to his bed where he collapsed on top of the black sheets.

He placed his hands on either side of his head as he dug them into his hair and let out more puffs of air through his nose to let out his furry. He couldn't believe that that kid actually had the nerve to tackle him. He of course ended up being the victor but in the end… he felt low. The way Sakura seemed more worried about that boy than him really struck his heart with a great deal of pain.

"_Maybe she is over me?" _he thought. He was certain that if Sakura still, actually cared for him, she would've run to his side instead of going over to that skater-boy. But she didn't.

The look of fear and sadness in her eyes that emerged after she saw him knock her boyfriend down was enough to show that she was falling for the guy; if she hadn't already fallen for him. And then there was the fact that she completely ignored him and didn't bother to spare him a second glance after he knocked the guy off of him. But why would she? Her boyfriend was the one to go down… and he wasn't her boyfriend anymore so… she no longer cared for him.

"_She probably can't stand the sight of me anymore." _And why would she be able to look at him? He knew Sakura so well. And one thing he learned about the girl that used to be one of the biggest losers of the school was that when someone messed with a person she deeply cared for, that person becomes Public Enemy #1 to her.

He groaned at the thought of Sakura hating him now more than she already had. His chances of getting her back were slipping through his fingers faster than sand. She was growing more and more distant from him; she probably won't even spit in his direction any more. And there this was the Ami thing…

"_Ugh, my life is so fucked up!"_

But one good thing sure did come out of it. He now knew that he could break up with Ami. I mean, why would he still go out with her to get Sakura back if Sakura completely hated his guts now? Certainly not because he likes her because that would be a total lie. And definitely not because she was good in bed, which he was happy to say that he'll never find out because that girl was just a huge whore and god knows how many diseases she's carrying around.

"_So what now?" _he thought. How was he gonna rebuild the shattered chance of him getting Sakura back?

He still wanted her to be his –god _knows_ that he definitely wants to call her his girlfriend again. But with that guy in the loop… and the current events of almost three hours ago… it seemed almost… impossible; something that would require so much strategy that it'd take a fool to break mess up that plan.

He smirked. _"Or a fool to make it."_ raising his upper body up and off the bed, Sasuke reached for his cell phone. Once it was in his hand, he quickly went into his Contacts list and scrolled through them. Then he finally found the one he needed to call… the one who he knew would come up with a way to get Sakura to be his again… but boy was this gonna be hard for him to do.

"_Swallow your pride Sasuke; it's for Sakura." _With this as his motivation, he quickly pressed the green button on his phone once it was over the number he desired to see. He placed it to his ear as he waited for it to stop ringing and to hear the oh-so-familiar voice.

"**Hello?" **he heard from the other end. **"Sasuke, is that you?"** the person asked.

Sighing, he decided to answer. "Yes Itachi, it's me." now in everyone else's eyes, Itachi wasn't an idiot. He was a pure prodigy and obvious favorite of his father. But due to their basic sibling rivalry, Sasuke always saw Itachi as the biggest idiot he's ever met in his eyes. Even though he clearly knew that the older Uchiha brother was actually the complete opposite.

"**Well, why the sudden urge to call me? College not turning out as you hoped?" **he could hear the smirk in Itachi's voice. He growled a little to the phone.

"No… not exactly." He admitted. He knew that what he was doing was totally against his policy of trying to prove Itachi wrong. But he also knew that Itachi was the only one that would help him come up with a plan to get the beautiful pinkette back under his wing.

"**Oh, so tell me little brother, what seems to be troubling you?" **Itachi asked in a nonchalant voice.

Sasuke sighed out as he placed his free hand in his hair. "I fucked up Itachi… big time." he stated.

"**What did you do?" **Itachi asked. Sasuke heard the sound of something slamming down onto paper. Since Itachi was just a few years older than him, he was also in college. He was working to get the highest college degree available; Doctoral. It took a total of 14 years for someone to earn their Doctoral degree and Itachi was barely half way there.

"Well… you remember Sakura, right?" Sasuke asked.

"**Of course I remember Sakura; she was the first girl who you ever proposed to just to have her throw the ring in your face because of some fan-girls."** Itachi seemed oblivious to just how much it hurt Sasuke to hear that.

"Yeah well, I kinda wanna get her back… and I've been working on that since the first day I found out that she came here to this college as well," he paused. "And it seemed like I was getting closer but…"

"**But…?" **Itachi repeated as he waited for Sasuke to finish the rest of his sentence.

Sasuke let out a heavy sigh as he gathered up the courage to tell Itachi what he had done today. He felt his Uchiha pride go down a little but he knew that he had to put all pride aside if he wanted to get Sakura back; and that was a huge obstacle to overcome.

"**Sasuke, how do you expect me to help you if-"**

"I punched out her new boyfriend today." Sasuke said as he cut Itachi off.

"**Her boyfriend… why… were you jealous?" **Itachi asked.

"No, I wasn't jealous," Sasuke said. "The douche and I got into an argument and I said something that caused him to jump me. Long story short, I ended up keeping him in the balls and delivered a blow to his nose that made Sakura rush to his side and leave with her friend Ino to take him to the hospital." Sasuke said as he filled his brother in on a brief description of what took place only hours ago.

Itachi was silent on the other line. For a moment Sasuke wondered if his brother had hung up on him and momentarily removed the phone from his ear to see if the call was still going; it was.

"Itachi, Itachi are you still there?" he asked into the dark blue Blackberry.

"**My guess is that Sakura completely hates you now." **Itachi said after a long pause of unnecessary silence.

"Probably; she might not even look at me ever again. Not even if I stand directly in front of her line of vision." Sasuke said into the phone.

"**And I'm assuming that you called me to help you figure out of what to get her back; am I correct?" **Itachi asked.

"Well I didn't call to check up on you that's for sure." Sasuke said.

"**Calm down little brother; no need to take your anger out on me just because you completely blew her chances of ever getting her back."** Sasuke felt his mind go blank at his sentence.

"I blew it?" he asked.

"**Yes, you did. Because you got her boyfriend sent to the hospital, Sakura is probably filled with so much hatred for you that she won't want to go near you with a 100-foot pole." **Sasuke sighed out heavily. He thought that that would be the result of the way he acted earlier. God he should've never entered that stupid salon in the first place!

"So I guess calling you was just a waste of time." Sasuke said. The sadness was clearly heard in his voice. His stoic-ness had been completely washed out of him because of how much of his pride he had lost in the act of calling and confessing to his brother.

"**Not completely,"** Itachi said from the other line. **"You got to talk to me for a while and I think there is a way to make her hate you a little less every day; but I'm sure you might not like it."** Itachi knew his brother and he knew what Sasuke would hate and what he would like. And he was definitely not gonna like this.

"How?" Sasuke asked with a tiny hint of hope in his voice. Maybe all was not lost?

"**Become friends with her current boyfriend." **Itachi said getting to the point and not beating around the bush.

"Over my dead body." Sasuke said. He would never become friends with that idiot. He'd rather die than even come close to calling that male one of his friends.

Itachi chuckled a little at his brother's response.

"**I knew that would be your answer," **he said. Sasuke rolled his eyes in annoyance. **"But listen to me before you make it your final answer."**

Sasuke growled before saying into the phone, "Fine; but there better be a good ass reason as to why you want me to socialize with that brat." Sasuke warned his brother. If it's not a god reason, he'll personally fly all the way to the University of Cambridge –Itachi's college- and beat the crap out of the older male.

"**Simple," **Itachi started. **"If you were to become close to him, Sakura would have no choice but to see you more often and remove some of her hate for you so that she wouldn't anger her boyfriend at the fact that she hated one of his friends. So, as time goes by, she'll become a little closer to you each month until she finally falls for you and you have her back." **Itachi finished.

"_Damn," _Sasuke thought. _"That's actually a pretty good plan; maybe calling him wasn't a waste of time after all." _

"**Is that a good enough reason little brother?" **Itachi added with a tone of smugness in his voice.

Sasuke growled. "Hn." He answered.

"**So it is. Now, if you don't mind Sasuke, I have to get back to my studying and I'll leave you to deal with your children's drama." **Itachi said.

"Fine and… thanks… Itachi… for… helping me." the words were so foreign to him that it almost burnt to say them. But he managed to make them escape his lips and not sound too strained; which he was sure Itachi knew was.

"**You're welcome little brother. I'll see you and the rest of the family at Thanksgiving." **Then he heard the line go dead as Itachi ended the call and went back to working on getting his Doctoral, or professional,degree.

He removed the phone from his ear before ending the call as well and letting it fall on his bed as he went over what Itachi said.

"_Make friends with the skater-brat," _he thought as he repeated the main thing he'd have to do for Itachi's plan to work. He scoffed. _"Impossible to do; the guy probably hates me more than Sakura does because of what I did to him."_

He sighed out as he fell back against the bed with his arms spread out. Sakura was truly a unique girl. She was probably the first and only girl that he'd actually consider going through so much trouble just to have her be his again. Had it been the same with any other girl, he would've let them go, never to look back. Hell he probably would've never even proposed to them in the first place. But nope, he did just that with Sakura; he proposed to her… just to have his heart broken a few days later.

He groaned. He knew that if he actually had the courage to propose to her in the first place, then he'd have enough courage to go to hell and back just to get her to even look at him again.

"_For Sakura." _He really had no other choice.

* * *

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* * *

One hour later

* * *

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* * *

"_Five hours_! Five _fucking_ hours you've had to get these CDs organized and you're still not. Done? What the hell is wrong with you Yayuki?" Yayuki groaned as Monique continued on her rant as she showed her just who angry she was for still not having the simple assignment done.

Yayuki tuned out the rest of the rant as she focused more on the music that was blaring through the speakers that somehow managed to tune out her completely infuriated boss. She looked away from the older girl for a moment –Monique wouldn't notice because she was too busy cursing her out as she moved in a small circle and throwing her arms out hysterically.

Her purple eyes landed on a certain male who was just a few feet away listening in on the conversation. A concerned look was in his eyes as he casually leaned his shoulder against the wall with his arms crossed.

"Look at me when I speak to you!" Monique yelled. Yayuki quickly averted her eyes from Hitomi to look at her pink-in-the-face boss; which was never a good sign considering who dark she was. "How dare you look away from me when I'm giving you hell?" Monique said.

"Look, I'm sorry for not having the CDs organized okay. But it's a total of 800 CDs; it takes a while to organize." Yayuki said softly as she tried to keep her anger in check and not punch out her boss.

"But it doesn't take five goddamn hours to organize! You should've been done like… two hours ago!" Monique yelled.

"Well I was busy training Hitomi!" Yayuki exclaimed. She clenched her fists behind her back as she dug her nails into her own skin. She had to keep her cool, she had to keep her cool.

"Did you just yell at me?" Monique asked. "I cannot believe that you just yelled at _me_, your _boss_!" Monique shouted.

"_Oooh god no."_ Yayuki thought. She shouldn't have raised her voice. Now she was surely gonna end up in a darker part of hell that she was already in.

"Okay, you know what, I _can't_ take this anymore." Monique said as she sighed out. "You are nothing but a _spoiled_ little _Princess_ who _obviously_ isn't used to hard work. You're _fired_ Yayuki." She finished.

Yayuki gasped as her eyes widened. "What? You… you can't fire me." she said as she took in the words Monique just said.

"I can and I did. I want you to change out of that uniform and get the hell out of the store." Monique stated as she crossed her arms and glared at the girl.

Yayuki finally let her anger show. "Well fine, okay, fire me!" she yelled. "I'll be glad to leave this store and no longer be working here because then I won't have to deal with your bitchy self and worthless shit every day!" she shouted. Then she stomped her way over to the Employee Lounge to change out of her uniform.

She angrily slammed the door shut and headed over to her locker. Her steps were hard and she let out frustrated grunts as she crossed through an area that held couches and a table where the employees would sit and relax. She of course never got to do that because Monique hated her from the day she started working there. And the only reason she got the job was because when she applied, it was her _brother_ who was there for the day, not Monique.

She reached her locker and angrily opened it. She let out a grunt as she grabbed her bag that was all white with speakers in it so she could listen to her iPod on the go. Usually the strap was small because it was more like a purse, but she had one of her friends make the strap longer so that she could wear it like a messenger bag because she really,_ really_ loved messenger bags.

She took the bag off it shook and then placed it on the bench that was a few feet away. Then she grabbed her coat from the locker and slammed it shut. She only had those two things in there because she didn't like going anywhere with a lot of bulk.

Slamming the locker shut, she then placed her jacket on top of her purse as she started to undo the grey buttons of the black shirt that was her uniform. She had them all down and was about to pull the hem up when she saw a pair of hands there.

"I'll do it for you." He whispered in her ear. Her eyes widened as she suddenly felt his presence.

"Hitomi," she said as he started to raise the shirt. His hands went over her abdomen as the material of the black shirt started to higher. His fingers ghosted across her grey shirt but she still felt her skin tingle at his touch. "What are you doing in here? Don't you think Monique will get suspicious?" she asked. His hands went directly over her covered nipple as he finally raised the shirt up to her neck and was now pulling it over her head.

Hitomi pulled the shirt off of her and used one hand to move all of her hair. It was easy because she still had it braided. Once her hair lay back on her right shoulder, he threw the shirt over to where her other clothes were and wrapped his hands around her waist as he rested his head in the junction of her shoulder and neck.

"I don't really care; besides," he said as he moved his hands so that they were under the material of her grey shirt now and touching her skin. "What's she gonna do, fire me? I don't really care. I was only here for her and since you're leaving now, I have no reason to try and keep this job." His hand went up higher until he felt the material of her bra.

Yayuki held back her whimper. His hands went under her bra and he was now teasing her. She gasps as he pinched her nipples and pulled on them more. It hurt a little but at the same time it felt amazing. Already her skin was heating up and she knew that if she didn't stop him now, she might end up half naked and recovering in about ten minutes or less.

She gathered up all strength and rational thinking she could find and then pulled away from him. His hands slipped from under her bra and moved against her stomach until they were no longer under her shirt. She was near the bench where her stuff lay and she looked at him. He seemed a little disappointed that she had pulled away from him.

"Hitomi please," she said as she took in a few deep breaths to try and calm her raging hormones. "You know that I can't be with you again." She said.

It hurt to hear her say that. Normally girls would jump at the chance to be his girlfriend, especially if he had broken up with them. But this was completely different. Yayuki had been the one to break up with him and she didn't want to be his girlfriend again. But he knew that was a lie. She wanted to be his again, he could see it, he could sense it… but she just wasn't ready.

"Hm," he finally said. Then he sighed out and locked his eyes with her. "I understand Yayuki." He said.

"You… you do?" she asked almost in disbelief. She would've thought that he'd come onto her; push her against a wall and then tease her until she couldn't take it anymore. You know; things he used to do to her when they were dating and she refused to do something for him.

"Yeah, I do." he said. "It's obvious that you're still not ready to be in a new relationship; especially since you're still in your old one." he added the last part with a hint of annoyance.

Yayuki's eyes saddened a little. "Well not for long." She said. She then turned to the side and grabbed her jacket. She slipped on the leather material and then left it open. She grabbed her purse and placed the strap against her right shoulder so that it went across her body and the bag rested on her left hip. She made sure her braid was on top.

As she leaned in a little to pick up her black shirt, Hitomi let his eyes go over her curves once again. Got it ached him to know that she used to be his. His hands used to be able to go all over her body and stay there for as long as he wanted without her getting angry with him or anything. And while he did just get a taste of what that felt like again, she still moved away from him before he could continue.

"I guess I'll go shove this shirt down Monique's throat now." she said as she looked at the black shirt.

That sentence gave him so many ideas that he had to stop all mental thinking before he did something that would make her annoyed at him. And he hated it whenever she was annoyed at him.

"Aren't you worried they might call the cops on you?" he asked as she smirked at her.

"Pfft, like they'd arrest me." she said as she blew away a strand of black hair in her eyes. "I know who to avoid the cops; my friend Tami taught me all about how to get away with the perfect crime." She said. "See you, Hitomi." She said. She then started to head towards the exit of the Employee Lounge.

"_Hm, the perfect crime." _He thought. He watched as she disappeared behind the door. Her silhouette was perfectly shown as the light from the store hit inside. The door creaked to a close and he was left in the room all by himself. _"Maybe that's what I have to do; steal her away."_

* * *

She opened the door of the car as soon as Ino parked it. She stepped out first before helping her boyfriend out of the vehicle. Atsushi stepped out of the car and closed it before he linked hands with Sakura and the two looked at Ino.

"Well, today was certainly an eventful day." Ino said as she closed the door on the driver's side and checked to see if it was locked. "And to think that it's barely 5pm." She added. The door was locked and she stared at her best friend and boyfriend.

"Thanks for driving again Ino." Sakura said. "I know that it must really be cutting into your paycheck to leave work so early."

"Ah don't sweat it Sakura," Ino said as she waved off the sentence like a fly. "A friend in need is much more important than a paycheck. Besides, I'm heading back to work now to make up for the minutes I've missed. It'll all be fine. I'm just glad that you're okay Atsushi." Ino said as her gaze landed on the brown-haired-yellow-streaked boy.

"Thanks for worrying Ino." Atsushi said. His voice still sounded a little nasal because he now had a small bandage that was like a mini ice pack over his nose to help heal him faster. "I really owe you one." He finished.

"Yes, yes you do." Ino said. "I will take you up on your offer next time I go shopping." She finished. She saw the boy stiffen at this and she couldn't help but snicker a little. "Well I'm off, good luck with the rest of your Sunday you two. I'll see you later at around… 8pm Sakura." Ino said.

"Okay, bye Ino!" Sakura said.

"Bye!" Ino said as she started to walk away towards the direction of the Shopping Area.

Sakura watched as her blonde friend disappeared behind a small hill, the top of her head visible, until all of Ino was gone while she went down the stairs. She sighed out as she looked at the sky; it was barely sunset and they still had plenty of time to be together.

"So," Atsushi said. "What do you want to do?" Sakura looked at her boyfriend as she pondered his question when her body answered for her.

"Eat." She stated as she placed her free hand over her stomach that just grumbled.

Atsushi laughed at this. "Eat it is then; come on, let's head over to the Lunch Area." He said. Sakura nodded her head as he started to lead her in the opposite direction of where Ino went.

While she was a little embarrassed that her stomach grumbled so loudly, she knew that it was only natural that her body did that. The last time she ate was… wait… she hasn't eaten all day! She had skipped breakfast to make sure that she was a little hungry during the date so that she'd actually eat something at the place that he'd take her to. But with the thing at the salon and the fact that she was too worried about Atsushi to even consider eating at the hospital, the thought of food completely skipped her mind up until now.

They walked down the path that led to the Lunch Area. They made their way up the small group of stairs and immediately spotted all of the stands there that held delicious things to eat. Her stomach grumbled louder as she smelt the heavenly aroma of popcorn.

"Come on, I have a feeling you won't be able to wait any longer." Atsushi said in her ear. She nodded her head but couldn't help but notice how she didn't get that tingling feeling that she usually got whenever a guy said something so close to her ear. But she shook it off as they made their way over to one of the stands.

They stopped in front of a stand that held things like hamburgers, fries, onion rings, hot dogs, soda, or basically a fast food restaurant on the go. There was a single person in front of them that was currently waiting for their order to be done.

"So what would you like?" Atsushi asked her.

Sakura studied the contents of the menu. All of it looked and smelt so, so good. But she knew that she couldn't eat it all and that she had to narrow her choices down to one or two things. She went over the list of things to eat and their prices. Atsushi had told her on the way back that they'd officially start their date the second they stepped foot on campus and that anything she wanted was on him.

"_Such a sweet guy." _She thought as she once again looked over the menu. Her stomach grumbled as the scent of meat hit her nose. _"Mmm, that smells fantastic." _Then it came to her. "Okay, I know what I want." She said as she looked back at the male.

"Great, what is it and I'll order for us." He said.

"I want a plain, ham sandwich, just ham and lettuce, along with some fries and… a Sprite." She said. She knew that it was a reasonable request because the fries were only $1.10 while the ham sandwich was $2.50 and the Sprite soda was $1.00. A total of $4.10, not even five dollars.

"Cool." Atsushi answered. The person in front of them left with their meal and then they both stepped up to the guy that was there. "Can we get a ham sandwich, two orders of fries, a hot dog and one Sprite and one Coke?" Atsushi ordered.

The man there nodded his head as he pressed the buttons of the kings they ordered on the cash register in front of them. "That'll be $9.00." the man said.

Atsushi reached in to his pocket to fish out his wallet. He seemed to be having a tough time finding it because he dug and dug in his pocket but found nothing.

"Maybe it's in my other pocket." he said as he removed his hand and looked for it in his other pocket. He then checked his back pockets when he came out empty and a look of embarrassment crossed his face. "Uh, Sakura," he said as he looked down at his pink-haired girlfriend.

"Yes Atsushi?" Sakura asked with worried green eyes.

"I think I left my wallet back at my dorm." He said. "Could you maybe pay for our food? I promise that as soon as we head back to the dorm I'll pay you back." He said nervously.

"Oh, of course I don't mind Atsushi," she said as she released her hand to get her wallet from the inner pocket of her jacket. She pulled the leather-bound money holder and opened it to take out a ten dollar bill. "Here you go sir." She said as she handed it to the man that had been patiently –or impatiently- waiting to get his money.

He took it from her and opened the cash register. He placed the ten dollar bill inside and then took out a dollar and handed it to Sakura. She placed it back inside her wallet and then put the object back inside her coat. The man at the counter left while he went to go prepare the food for the couple.

"Thanks again Sakura, I could've sworn I had it with me." Atsushi said as they started to wait for their food.

"Ah it's okay Atsushi, accidents happen." Sakura stated. She then rested her head against his arm as she started to think. _"Although, I never had to pay for anything with Sasuke –wait! What am I doing comparing my relationship with Atsushi with Sasuke? Have I completely gone bonkers?" _she screamed in her mind. _"But then again, I don't exactly have a lot of money to pay for our food again; if he ever forgets his wallet." _She sighed out. _"Maybe I need a job? Hm, I wonder if the girls know of any place that's hiring or if there are open spots at their jobs?"_ she wouldn't mind working at anywhere they worked. Their jobs were all nice and probably paid well although, _"I don't think I can handle the pressures of the salon, or know what type of music someone was looking for and I'm pretty sure I'd screw up a couple of orders at the café… hm… maybe I can be work at the Pet Boutique with Hinata?" _she thought.

"Here're your orders." The man said as he brought them their food on top of a tray.

"Thank you." Atsushi said. Sakura released his arm as he used it to grab the dark green tray. With the plastic in between his hands, he lifted it as he started to walk over to an empty table near the back of the Lunch area next to the steps. "Come on Sakura." He stated as he made his way over there.

Sakura began to follow him and took her seat in one of the curved black chairs as they finally made it to the circle table. Once she sat down, she waited for him to hand over her food so she can begin eating but was surprised when he started eating first.

"Um… Atsushi…" she started as she watched him almost inhale half of his fries. "Can I please have my food please?" she tried to not show her discomfort at his… un-gentlemen-ness.

Atsushi looked up from shoving another three onion rings in his mouth. "Oh, uh," he said as he began to chew while at the same time speak. "Sure thing Sakura, I almost forgot." He finished eating the rings before he grabbed the red tray where Sakura's sandwich was along with the identical one that held her fries and pushed them over to her. Then he looked through the clear plastic covering the drinks to see which one was dark and which one was light. Once he determined which one was the Sprite, he handed it over to his girlfriend. "There you go." he said before he started to eat again.

"Thank… you." Sakura said as she noticed how once he was done with giving her the food, he started to pay more attention to his meal than her. And she wasn't an attention-hogging girlfriend or anything but it was just that… well… he looked a little… oh how should she put it?

"_Revolting! Absolutely, positively, without a doubt, disgusting! He looked like such a Neanderthal!"_ yep, that would be it; or at least, that's how Yayuki had put it when she spoke to one of her friends on the phone a few months ago about a guy she had run in to from her old school. And it hurt a little to call Atsushi that but… that's what he looked like, at the moment.

Shaking the bad thought of her boyfriend away, she reached for her ham sandwich and lifted it up off the red container and tissue paper. She placed it between her hands as she brought it to her lips and took a bite. Her cheeks puffed with agreement at the taste.

The ham was roasted, fresh, as if it had just come from the deli. The lettuce was crunchy and the bread was toasty warm and added to the juiciness of it all. She moaned in delight as she chewed, then swallowed and took another bite of her ham sandwich. She continued the process and momentarily placed her sandwich down to take in some soda.

As she sucked in some Sprite, her eyes landed on Atsushi and she nearly threw up a little. The onion rings were apparently gone and at the moment he was eating the hot dog. The condiments on the hot dog –which she never even heard him asking for- were splattered all over his face like he was some… six-year-old. She bit in more and some of the mustard that he placed there got stuck on his nose. He then held the hot dog in one hand as he shoved some fries down his throat before resuming to eat the hot dog without even finishing his fries. The fries stuck out from behind the hot dog bone.

"_Oh yeah, definitely revolting." _She thought. She stopped drinking her soda and then placed it down as she sighed. She wanted to leave, but considering with how he had just gotten out of the hospital and this was their first date in like… three freaking weeks, she had to see it through. _"It would hurt him if I left." _And she didn't want to hurt him.

So she averted her eyes from her boyfriend –who was grossing her out right now- and instead focused on her food. She took in a few of her fries and at about ten before she resumed eating her sandwich… like a _civilized_ person.

She continued to eat her food and at times would look up to see what Atsushi was doing. Her eyes widened as she noticed that all his food was gone. She ate the last half of her sandwich in shock while he gulped down his Coke before placing the now empty cup down and… burping.

"_Oh gross!" _she thought. She was so glad that she had finished eating her sandwich and was now keeping it down with soda otherwise she'd be throwing up all over the table.

"So, Sakura," Atsushi said as he started to clean his mouth. He seemed completely oblivious to the fact that Sakura thought that he was disgusting right now. "What next?" he asked.

"Actually Atsushi I-"

"Hey can I have your fries?" he asked as his eyes zoned in on the golden wedges still left to be partly untouched.

"-Haven't finished eating." She finished the sentence that he interrupted her in with very little enthusiasm. She looked at him and saw that he hadn't even paid attention to what she said and just continued to stare at the fries. She sighed, "Um, okay, sure… you can have my fries Atsushi." She said as she pushed the basket near him.

His eyes seemed to light up like a kid in a candy store. "Oh thanks Sakura, you're the best Doll." He stated as he reached for the fries and began to eat them.

"_Doll… did he just call me Doll?" _she thought. Atsushi had never called her anything besides her name and to just hear him call her Doll out of nowhere was a little… weird to her. "Uh… thanks… I guess." She said. Knowing that this date would be over soon, she finished the rest of her Sprite and then gathered up all the things to be thrown in the trash.

She stood up with the dark green tray full of trash as she made her way over to a wastebasket. On top of it she placed the red baskets that had held their food. Then she threw in the trash –making sure that the cups that held their drinks went into the Recycling Bin- and then placed the green tray on top of the trash can near the baskets.

"So where to next?" Atsushi asked as Sakura reached the table again.

"Um… actually, I'm going back to my dorm Atsushi." She said.

"Huh? Why?" he asked. He had a disappointed look on his face that really hurt her heart to see. But to be honest, with this weird… new Atsushi that was going on, she didn't want to spend more time with him.

"Well…" she started as she tried to think up of a good excuse. "We have class tomorrow morning and I know that if we continue this date, it probably won't stop until like… midnight. I mean, our dates are always so much fun to me that I never want them to stop." She didn't want to lie to her boyfriend but… he was just acting so… childish and disgusting today that she honestly couldn't look at him any longer.

"Oh, you're right Sakura," he said. He seemed to revert back to his old self because he gave her that smile that she loved –but never caused her heart to flutter. "I love our dates too you know, I just wish we had more time for them." he stated.

"Me too," she said with a soft smile. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow at lunch Atsushi."

"Yeah, of course." He said. He walked over to her and Sakura expected him to give her a kiss but instead he just patted her head –much to her disappointment. "I'll see you tomorrow Sakura, bye." He said. He then walked past her and started to head off somewhere.

Sakura stood there, watching his retrieving back. She raised an eyebrow at everything that just happened. First, he's violent, then he's nice, then he's absolutely disgusting and now he's avoiding her again… why?

"_I need to talk to Ino." _

* * *

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* * *

"Ami; I would've thought you'd have left already." Ino said as she finished up clearing the chair for the next person she would take on. Which, much to her surprise, was actually the last one she had before she rushed Atsushi to the hospital with Sakura; who also helped cause the incident to happen.

"Yeah well, I was about to have someone else do it all for me, but they were all booked and I was told to wait until one of them was free, or come back tomorrow at 6pm after classes." Ami said as she took a seat in the chair. She had her wet hair pinned up and with a plastic cap over it. "And since you're back, I figured that you might as well finish what you started."

Ino wanted to laugh at the girl's situation. She's waited longer than the average salon-goer just to get her hair done. But she held back her snickers as she finished tying the plastic black strings of her apron. She was so glad that Mrs. Sato –her boss- allowed her to get right back to work and even let her have a small lunch break because she skipped. She finished tying it tightly and then removed the cap from Ami's hair.

"Hm, your hair dried out. I'm gonna have to wet it again and maybe even start the process all over." Ino said as she studied the messy locks.

"What! Why?" Ami screamed.

"Well," started Ino as she tried to keep a sweet voice. "I have to finish cutting your split ends and that'd be incredibly hard to do with dry hair. And if I just wet it then, well, the moisture will only last for so long and I'll continue having to wet your hair over and over and over and use up more of our time." Ino said as she explained her reasons to the girl in the chair.

Ami let out a frustrated growl. "I can't have you start this crap all over! I have a fucking date to get to tonight!" Ami shouted at Ino. Her date with Sasuke was in two hours; she did not have time to re-start her salon treatment.

"Well, you could leave now, buy a wig and fake it as your hair for your date," Ino said. "Or you could postpone it until… tomorrow or something. I mean, there are other days when you can try to convince Sasuke to screw you." She said as she spoke of Ami's true intentions for dating the Uchiha.

Ami rolled her eyes at Ino's statement. "What-_ever_," she said in a snobby voice. "But fine, go ahead, I'll call my Sasu-boo-boo and tell him that we'll sadly have to make our date happen another time; after all," she sighed out as she took her phone out from her small purse. "Beauty comes first." She immediately started to surf her Contacts for the one belonging to Sasuke. She had so many because she's dated so many guys and never bothered to delete them in case she wanted to… rekindle their relationship for just one night.

Ino rolled her eyes as Ami did this. Then she checked the clock to see the time; 6:13. She sighed. _"Only one hour and… forty-seven minutes to go before my shift's off." _she thought.

"His Sasu-boo-boo," came Ami's voice as she started to speak to Sasuke. "I just wanted to tell you that sadly, we can't go on our date tonight. I have to spend the rest of my evening getting my hair fixed, ugh, people these days," she said with a side glance towards Ino. "I hope you're not too disappointed at this but we can always –hello, hello? Sasu-boo-boo, you there?"

Ino wanted to laugh in the girl's face. She could tell that Sasuke had just hung up after hearing what Ami had to tell him. He was never a guy to waste time and she knew that once he's heard the main reason for the call, that he'd just hang up without giving a crap who you were.

"Well okay then," Ami said as she tried to fake the fact that she was still talking with Sasuke on her cell phone. "Friday night it is; bye Sasu-boo-boo… I love you too." The girl then removed it from her ear and with a giggle ended the call that was actually over about 30-seconds ago. She then placed her phone back into her hot pink purse. "Oh that Sasuke, hm, he loves me so." Ami said.

Ino rolled her eyes. "I'm sure he does." She mumbled to herself with sarcasm laced inside. "Let's get started." She said loud enough for Ami to hear. She didn't want to spend any more time with this girl then she saw necessary.

"Finally, I was wondering when you'd start working." Ami said as she stood up from her chair while Ino led her to the Washing Station.

"I only took so long because you wanted to talk to your precious _Sasu-boo-boo_." She said as she mocked Ami's horrible pet name for Sasuke. _"Oh Sakura's gonna laugh when she hears this." _she thought as she imagined the look on her best friend's face when she tells her what Ami calls Sasuke.

"Ugh," Ami said as she rolled her eyes. "Whatever; just get started already." She took a seat in an empty leather chair and waited while Ino placed the plastic covering over Ami's body and back of her neck so her clothes wouldn't get wet.

Ino finished tying the strings and then placed Ami's hair inside the sink as she started the water and placed on gloves. She then reached for the shampoo and conditioner that she had used on Ami before and squirted some of the shampoo into the girl's dried hair.

"Oh hey sweetheart, you're back." Ino turned her head over to the one who addressed her. She felt a small smile grace her lips as she looked into the familiar face of Chika, a hairdresser with curly dark green and blue hair always up in an up-do, and bright pink eyes who just happened to be the very one who did Sakura's hair on the day of her first date with Atsushi.

"Hey Chika," Ino greeted. "And yes, I'm back."

"Good to see you, I thought you would head back to your dorm or something," Chika said as she placed her customer in the empty chair next to Ino and began preparing to wash out the extra dye from the woman's hair.

"Nope, I came right back here and ate before starting work again. Mrs. Sato let me." Ino said as she started to rub the shampoo in deeply into Ami's hair.

"Well then, now that you're back, I've got something to ask you." Chika said as she started to wash out the remaining dye. "What happened to cause Atsushi to… you know… attack that boy?" she asked in a low whisper voice to make sure that no one else would hear the subject of their conversation.

Ino was about to answer Chika's question –it was just basic salon gossip- when another voice rung out before hers.

"Simple, Atsushi was so upset that Sasuke was now dating me, his ex-girlfriend, that he went out with that slut Sakura to try and forget about me." Ami started. "But today, when he saw me again and the guy I was with, he just couldn't control his anger and-"

"That's a complete lie!" Ino exclaimed as she cut Ami off. She couldn't believe the lies that were coming out of Ami's mouth like coins at a casino. "That is not why they fought. If I remember correctly, which I do, Atsushi called Sakura prettier than you and said that the only reason he went out with you was because of a bet –which he gladly lost to go out with Sakura." Ino said as she cleared up the story.

"No." Chika said in disbelief. "SOP then, why did he attack that other boy, uh, Sauce-kay or whatever you called him?" she asked as she somehow managed to rinse out the dye and was now adding some color block.

"Well," Ino started. "Sakura used to date Sasuke, but then she broke up with him and it doesn't seem like Sasuke took it well." Ino started. "So ever since she's found out that he applied for this college as well, she's done nothing but avoid him and all he does I pursue her."

"So the boy's romantically interested in her?" Chika asked. She had finished applying the color block and was just making it seem like she was rinsing out the girl's hair to stall for some time.

Ami scoffed. "Oh please, what makes you think that my Sasuke would be romantically interested in-"

"He proposed to her." Ino said as she cut Ami off.

"Get out!" Chika whispered/screamed. Her pink eyes were wide in astonishment as Ino just nodded her head. "When did he propose to her?"

"Valentine's Day." Ino said.

"Well if he proposed to her and they were dating before, why isn't the girl wearing a wedding ring and have a belly already?" she was certain that if Sasuke had proposed to Sakura, she would've accepted and be pregnant by now… unless… "Did she _reject_ him?" Chika asked as she leaned in a little closer to Ino.

"Oh no," Ino said. "Sakura accepted; but this girl, Karin, she and her sister, Minamo, were so jealous of their relationship that they went to the mall with their brother, Miomi, and made it seem like Sasuke was cheating on Sakura." Ino said.

"Hold on, Karin, Minamo, Miomi… you don't mean those three head-headed siblings, do you? Because I'm certain that I've heard their names and seen their faces somewhere before." Chika said.

"Yep," Ino responded. "That's them alright. They had gone to the mall and the girls dressed up as various women and made sure that they came in contact with Sasuke on the day he bought the ring and Miomi took pictures of them where it seemed like Sasuke was checking them out or flirting or something. And then," Ino passed to add some conditioner to Ami's hair and started to scrub it in. "They emailed the pictures to Sakura's phone and she broke up with Sasuke during lunch in front of everybody; she even went as far as to break up the engagement and throw the ring at him."

"No!" Chika said. Her work was completely long-forgotten. At the moment, this juicy salon gossip was all that mattered; well it wasn't like she would get fires anyways.

"Yes." Ino answered. "But then Sakura found out the truth from when Karin and her siblings came over to the house one day and Sasuke got them to confess." She said as she started to pull her fingers through Ami's hair as she tried to get the conditioner in real deep.

"But then if she knew that he didn't really cheat on her, why didn't she take him back? Why is she dating Atsushi and not happily married?" this all confused Chika. If she were in Sakura's shoes, she would've jumped Sasuke the second she found out that he never did cheat on her –she saw what Sasuke looked like.

"Well, that's actually a little complicated," Ino said softly. "Sakura loved Sasuke; she truly, truly did but…"

"But…?" Chika waited for Ino to finish the sentence. She'd be sitting at the edge of her seat if she was at the movie theatre and this was actually a movie.

"She loved her life even more. She was afraid of what might happen if they continued their relationship. I mean, a group of girls went out of their way just to break off their engagement, she didn't even want to _imagine_ what might happen if they actually got _married_." Ino said. "After all, Karin did give Sakura pretty bad scar from a switch blade when she threw it at her during a fight at school one day."

Chika held back her loud shriek. This was the best piece of gossip she's ever heard in her lifetime; and she's lived a pretty long life. She felt like a teenager again, listening to this girl tell the story behind the conflict that occurred today. Man was she glad that she decided to come to work today instead of stay home.

"Oh my god, that much drama went on back then? When did this all happen?" Chika asked.

"Well, the knife thing happened a few months before he proposed, when their relationship was made public and everyone in school heard about it. And she officially ended her bond, connection, relationship with him a week after he proposed." Ino stated.

"Wow, that girl and guy have some history together," Chika said. "So I'm guessing he fought Atsushi for her, right?" she asked as she started to move her hands to make it look like she was washing hair and not gossiping… again.

"Well, Atsushi got into an argument with Sasuke about this thing that occurred back in August, and then Ami here tried to make people think that it was all about her, causing Atsushi to call her out and made Ami force Sasuke to defend her, which caused Sasuke to say something about Atsushi's mom and then –well, you saw the outcome." Ino said as she finally summed up the story in one, long sentence.

"Whew," Chika said as she finally took in everything Ino said. "All of that happened just for that one girl, Sakura?" she asked. Ino nodded her head. "Well I can see why they'd both fight for her; she's a beautiful girl."

"Yeah, she is." Ino said.

"Ugh," Ami said after finally staying silent as Ino retold of Sakura and Sasuke's past. "How do we know that you're not just making all of this up to hide the fact that-"

"Because unlike you, I don't make up crap just to have people know that I go to this college." Ino said with an icy tone.

Ami glared up at the platinum blonde. "What-_ever_." She said as she rolled her eyes.

Ino mimicked the girl and rolled her eyes as well before she finally rinsed out the conditioner and saw that all of Ami's hair was now silky smooth and easy to cut.

"Come on; let's get your hair done so you can leave." Ino stated.

Ami just scrunched her nose as Ino removed the covering from over her body and placed a large towel under the girl's neck and against her backside so her wet hair wouldn't wet her clothes once she got up. The drenched-haired female started to head back to the station while Ino started to put away the supplies to you.

"Anyways, it was nice talking to you Chika." Ino said as she closed the cupboard above her.

"You too darling; and thanks for filling me in on the fight today." She whispered the last part so that no one would hear that she now knew the full details… and _more_!

"No problem, it's not that big a deal anyway. Atsushi's fine and now Sakura probably hates Sasuke more than ever and won't even look at him." she said as she dried the wet counter near the sink. "I'll guess I'll talk to you later." Ino said.

"Okay sweetheart." Chika said. Ino went off to where Ami was seated and this left Chika alone to think one thing, _"Wait until I tell the others!"_

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"Bye Hinata!" Amaya shouted to the young Hyuuga as she made her way over to the exit of Boutique with her coat covering her and her bag in her hand.

"Bye Amaya, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Hinata asked unsure. Most students didn't go to work on school days; they were usually all too busy doing their work to make sure that they stay in the well-known and prestigious college.

"Of course; I'll bring my homework so we can work on it together during our free time." Amaya said as she placed a hand on the doorknob.

"Okay, see you until then." Hinata said with a smile.

"You too; bye!" Amaya opened the door and was half-way out.

"Bye!" Hinata exclaimed as she waved at the older girl as she disappeared behind the concrete fixtures of the building. Once Amaya was out of her sight, she started to head back to her office to pack up her own things and leave.

The Boutique was closing for the day. It was 8pm and all stores and facilities on campus were ending until they opened up once again in about twelve hours or so. The sky was a mixture between indigo and pink as the sunset almost completely ended.

She reached her office and opened her door as she stepped in and made her way over to where her locker was in the back of the large office. On her way, she quickly checked on all the animals that would be staying overnight. Her eyes landed on the fully-awake Boa Constrictor that they had dealt with earlier that day. Its beady black eyes stared directly at her and hissed; she shivered before walking past it and finally reaching the little locker.

She opened it and reached inside for her dark violet-colored sweater that had a black belt to go around her waist, and her bag. She momentarily looked inside her bag to find a sleeping little kitty curled up into a ball; she smiled at the cuteness.

"Hey Hinata-chan," she jumped at the sudden voice piercing through the silence. She turned around to look into the confused blue eyes of Naruto. "Did I scare you? Sorry." He apologized without waiting for her answer.

"Um, n-no, it's alright Naruto, no need to apologize." She said as she calmed down. She saw his eyes shine as he began to give her a small smile. _"Why does he always have to smile?" _she thought. _"His smile is too… man." _He still had a large affect on her because of his smile.

"Maybe not, but I still felt that it was right, considering with how I kinda snuck up on you in a way." He said as his smile got brighter. God! That thing was like an Eclipse blocking all rational thinking in her mind!

"Well, in that case, I accept your apology." She stated.

"Great." He answered. He then moved a little to the locker next to hers to pull out his things. He had placed them inside during lunch when he finally decided that he might as well keep the job because then at least he'd get to see more of Hinata every day.

Hinata was silent as she continued to pack up her things. She took off her white Veterinarian coat and revealed her outfit to Naruto. While it was just a simple light pink Polo shirt with jeans, Naruto thought she looked so amazing. The pink really made her hair pop out and he was surprised at the fact that she wore pink, a bright color, when Hinata usually wore the simple colors that wouldn't get her noticed.

She placed the coat on the third hook in the locker before grabbing her jacket. She slipped her arms through the sleeves and then brought the separate parts of her jacket together at the end as she used it to make the zipper and pull it up. Once it was up to a few inches below her neck, she then grabbed at the belt that was meant for her waist and clasped it together.

"Well I guess I'll see you again soon Naruto," she said as she grabbed her bag gently and placed the strap over her chest so that it rested on her hip.

She started to walk away after giving him a gentle smile when she felt his hand on her wrist. She turned back to him and saw this pleading look in her eyes. She didn't know what he was gonna do or ask but she felt her insides melt at his cuteness. Dammit! Why'd he have to be so darn irresistible?

"Wait Hinata," he said as she finally spoke. "Let me walk you back to your dorm; please." He said.

"Um Naruto, I'm not so sure…" she stopped mid-sentence at the sad look that he gained in his sky blue eyes. They made her feel… like a villain, that look. He just looked so crushed and so hurt, like an innocent little kid asking his mother to play a game with him only to have the mother refuse to do so because she was too busy. She didn't want to be the mother to make him sad. So she sighed out, "Okay… you can walk me back to my dorm." And gave in.

Naruto's eyes brightened and he earned the largest grin on his face ever as he heard her accept his request. For a second, he thought that she would reject him and deny him to do so, but since she did the completely opposite, he now knew that he still had a large affect on her.

"Great, let me just get my stuff and then we can go." he said. He released his grip on her hand, already missing the feel of her skin against his, and turned back around to open his locker and grab his brown leather coat. He quickly placed the coat on and left it unzipped as he closed the button and turned towards the raven-haired beauty. "Okay, now we can go." he stated with a bright smile.

"But Naruto, as flattered as am I that you'd like to walk me back to my dorm, won't Etsu be upset with you?" she asked as she remembered that Naruto had a girlfriend who apparently hated her more than anything now because of that accidental kiss.

Naruto snorted. "Ah whatever, Etsu left like-"

"Naruto-kun!" Naruto felt all of his happiness drain away as he heard his loud girlfriend burst through the door of the Veterinarian office. Etsu quickly made her way over to where the pair stood at the near back of the office. "Come on Naruto-kun, you promised to walk me back to my dorm today, remember?" she stated as she stood a little bit in front of Hinata.

"I… did…?" Naruto asked confused. He was 100% that he never even _talked_ to Etsu today after they arrived at the Boutique, let alone promise to take her back to her dorm.

"Of course silly," Etsu said with a giggle in between. "You said that you'd walk me home and even give me a kiss goodbye as a _thank you_ for applying you for this job." She said. She then stopped giggling and turned her eyes a little to look at Hinata. "Oh Hinata, I didn't know that you were still here." Etsu said as if it was all a surprise and she hadn't been spying on the two through the window of the door that belong to the office –which she had!

"Neither did I." Hinata said a little bit sad. She was trying to not get into any conflict with Etsu and deep down was very upset that she wouldn't be able to spend some alone time with Naruto. _"Wait! What am I thinking! Naruto and I broke up months ago!"_ she yelled in her mind at the realization hit her that she wanted to be alone with Naruto. _"I have no reason to be alone with him; but I have plenty to stay far away from him."_

"Yes well, I was about to leave but then I remembered Naruto-kun's promise and I didn't want to make my sweet boyfriend a liar now, did I?" she said as she completely rubbed in Hinata's face that Naruto was hers, and as long as she had anything to do with it, will always be hers.

"No… you didn't." Hinata said. "I guess I'll just go now. Bye Naruto, bye Etsu." Hinata said as she started to head for the exit.

"No, wait Hinata, I-"

"Bye Hinata!" Etsu called out happily as she began to wave at the girl while moving the fingers of her right hand in a sort of small wave.

"Bye." Hinata said softly before she opened the door and left the room. She sighed out as she looked back in and watched as Etsu turned around and seemed to be getting into an argument with Naruto.

Knowing that it was none of her business, she started to head towards the front of the Boutique where the exit lay. She stayed quiet as he steps echoed through the semi-empty hallways; the cleaners of the night already starting on their work.

Tomorrow morning she'd have to wake up at around six just to spend at least two hours here feeding the animals that stayed overnight and checking on the Pomeranian puppies and their mother. She'd feed all the animals, maybe even wash one or two, before rushing back to her dorm to finish preparing to go to school at 9. She sighed out again.

"_Today was such an exhausting day." _

And who could it not be with Naruto now working here, the thing with the puppies, the Boa and with Naruto working here. Yep, Naruto working there every day was going to be a _big_ issue because she'd see more of him every day, she'd have to socialize with him and even have skin-to-skin contact from time-to-time. And she was definitely not looking forward to that.

She looked up as she went through the door that led to the Receptionist's desk. She made her way towards the exit just as the streetlamps outside turned on to illuminate the path for all the students and shoppers who were there today. She joined the group of people as she stepped out of the Boutique and out into the crisp, night air.

"_I'm so not looking forward to the future." _

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"Fucking Hyuuga… kissing me… making me feel… hot… ugh… I can't stand him!" Tenten smashed her free hand against the counter of the sink. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. In her other hand was her bright red toothbrush that already had her mouth covered in foam like a dog with rabies. Her hair was up in a tiny ponytail and she was already in her pajamas.

She grunted before continuing what she started and finishing getting ready to go to sleep. She spit out the foam into the sink as she finished and then started to rinse out her toothbrush. She placed the brown toothbrush in a cup next to Hinata's lavender one before cupping her hands to form a small cup, letting them fill with as much water as possible and bringing it to her mouth.

She swished the water in between her cheeks as she made sure to get every last but of toothpaste in her mouth before spitting the now dirty water into the sink just to have it go down the drain. She cupped her hands again but this time used the water to wipe away of the excess foam on her mouth and before she finally turned the water off and started to head out of the bathroom.

On her way out, she paused to turn the lights off before she got out, closed eth door, and then went over to where her towel was to dry her mouth. After her mouth was dry, she slumped down on her bed as she laid flat on her stomach.

"_Why the hell did he have to kiss me?"_ she thought as she continued to remember the event that caused her rambling back in the bathroom. _"Couldn't he have just let me go? Apparently not because he decided to kiss me instead of letting me leave with a tiny shred of whatever possible happiness I could've had."_ She sighed out as she turned over on her back to look up at the ceiling.

Her fingers on her left hand went to touch her lips. Even after rinsing her mouth with mouthwash eight times and brushing her teeth three times, she could still feel his lips there and taste them too. Whatever he had been drinking didn't seem like an easy taste to get rid of because she still felt like he had just kissed her moments ago; it tasted that new!

She groaned out in irritation as she reached under her pillowcase and pulled out the magazine she had been found herself reading. Bringing it within reading-level, she began to go through the newest issue of _Teen Vogue_. She cursed Ino for getting her into the habit of always picking up the 20 issues they release for year and reading them over and over.

She read the latest article before she decided that all these stories about celebrities and their love lives weren't exactly taking her mind off the Neji thing. She then sighed out dramatically as she placed it back under her pillowcase and decided that some sleep would help her clear her mind better.

So she raised her body on the bed so that her head was cushioned softly on the pillow and grabbed the blanket that she never bothered to put away in the mornings because she knew that she'd always use it every day, so there was really no point in folding it up neatly just to have it become disheveled again.

She wrapped it over her body before bringing it up closer to her neck and getting her head comfortable on the pillow.

Sleep would help her forget…

"_Just like when I woke up in Neji's bed."_

…Or… maybe not.

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Phew, another long and exciting chapter. I can't believe how much faster I uploaded this time. I really am on a roll. Anyways, I might not be able to upload as fast as I just started to because I have to take this huge exam that my mom keeps reminding me about and its really starting to piss me off. So I'm gonna spend some of my free time studying so I can pass the stupid day and can go back to update as fast as I possibly can. But anyways, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and the fluffs and stuff that I added in. Next chapter will be as exciting as this one, maybe even more and tensions… will… rise. I think… I'm not so sure… eh, you'll just have to read to see. So until next time!

Xoxoxo Chibi Star Vamp


	9. The Aftermath of Sunday

Awesomeness! A brand new chapter all for you guys. Anyways, I have a goal for this chapter: 6 reviews. Because when I get the six reviews, I can then post my _Naruto_ office fic that I've already typed (3 chapters done already). And I promised that I'd post it once I got fifty reviews for this story. So please review for this chapter! And also, check my profile for my new poll. It's really a very big decision and I'm still not certain whether I should do it or not. But anyways, on with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own the original _Naruto_ characters; I only own my own, the plot, and the story that led up to this (which I'm debating about revising or not).

Reviews

ToLazyToSigninxD- so you think it's amazing, that it has a great plot and use of characters… THANK YOU! You love them; all of them… oh wow! I bet you're gonna like my… five new ones even more in the upcoming future. Yeah, a lot of people love _**Bracelets**_ and this one; they're currently my most popular stories. And you're right, they really are cute! Oh yeah, Sasuke and Sakura drama is like… the ultimate best. It's always entertaining to watch. That would be cute, _but_, it's not how this story is gonna end. I bet you're pretty curious as to _how_ it _will_ end, but you'll just have to wait and see.

my life in is my ipod- I'm glad you love it. And while I do wait a long period to update, it's always worth it I believe. And I'm glad you think my characters are getting better. I was actually a little worried about that.

sakura-cherrytree- most dramatic and best story you've ever read… oh, I blush. But thanks for the compliment! I really appreciate it. Oh yeah (evil snicker), Sakura now has a deep hatred for Sasuke that'll make this all the more interesting to read.

Sasukeuchiha1101- sorry if I hadn't replied to your reviews earlier; they probably weren't for the latest chapter and I only reply to reviews that deal with the last chapter. Oh yeah, those six are so close… but not for long (evil snicker). Ino misses her Shikamaru (a little) and vice versa. Oh yeah, Sasuke's pride needs a little deflating if he _really_ wants Sakura back (which he does). And as for Sakura leaving Atsushi… you may not like this chapter a little… heh, heh. And yeah, Sasuke is the most perfect guy _ever_ and they do have such an amazing history… I wish I could get them back together in this chapter, I really do but… I have to stick to my plot. Boo.

XWhite Fang Wolf Godx- I'm so happy you love it! Thanks for the compliment –I love hearing them because it means my efforts are totally worth it. No need to wait and I hope you get your mind back! Lol!

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It was the middle of the day. Classes were let off for lunch and due to the fact that it was much colder than last week, everyone was inside. Luckily, there was an indoor Lunch Area as marvelous as the outside that looked a lot like the Food Court at a mall. Outside, the rain hammered down on the college forcing even the students who didn't mind the cold to eat in. So, for once, it looked like a High School cafeteria filled with bustling students and whatnot.

"Ugh," Ino said as she took a seat along with Sakura at the table where the girls were seated.

"What's wrong Ino?" Hinata, the ever so sweet and curious, asked. It was rare and unusual that Ino would groan. But still, it wasn't a thing that was common for the blonde and to never be looked at as _average_ behavior.

"Oh… it's just that…" Ino started. She stopped talking and instead began to dig in to her lunch. The four girls there looked at her curiously. What was going on with her?

"Ino," started Sakura. "What's wrong? Tell us," she said. She was very concerned over Ino. For the pass week, she's been moaning and moping about. She only got off the bed when they had class and when she needed to use the bathroom. But other than that, Ino stayed put. And that was a serious sign of a depression.

Ino momentarily stopped eating her food to look at the four concerned faces of her friend. _"So my plan's working after all," _she thought. _"I knew this would get them to start worrying. Now, all I have to do is confront something else that __someone__, refuses to talk about," _she smirked inwardly. She was such a genius sometime.

"Well," she started as she went back into her façade. "It's just that… I'm sorta… having problems with my boyfriend," she stated as she began to move her fork around and play with her spaghetti noodles.

"_You_ have a boyfriend?" Yayuki asked as her eyes went wide. "How come you didn't tell us before?" she asked. Since Ino loved gossiping and bragging, it was unusual for them to _just_ be finding out that she had a boyfriend.

Ino sighed. "Sorry… it's just that… we just recently started dating and I wanted to make sure that he was serious about this before I introduced you to him," she said as she placed an apologetic look on her face. They all gained the same ones. _"God! I should be an actress," _she thought.

"We understand Ino," Tenten said as she took a sip of her Coca Cola before placing the bottle back down on the table. "Now, what's going on between you and your boyfriend?" she asked with an eyebrow raised.

Ino sighed; time to let the _real_ plan begin. "Well… we've been dating for… two almost three weeks and… at first, I thought everything was perfect. I mean, he was so sweet and kind and practically worshipped the ground I walk on and treated me like a Queen," of course, she will have to change a few parts of the _actual _story. "But lately… he's been avoiding me, I barely see him and he was so disgusting on our last date! It was just –ugh, so gross!" she exclaimed and she put a disgusted look on her face to fool them all.

"Could it really have been that bad?" Hinata asked as she looked at the completely horrified and disgusted look on Ino's face. She seemed as if she were about to throw up or something.

"Yes!" Ino exclaimed. "I mean… god! I've never seen anything so disgusting in my _life_!" she then took in a deep breath as she began to calm down. "But… even though he's been acting weird and grossing me out… I just… _can't_ break up with him –I mean… I really have feelings for the guy and it might hurt me as much as it'll hurt him if we were no longer together," she stated softly. Now it got to the part she wanted. She had this same conversation earlier with the little pinkette but she refused to listen or tell the others. Now she's going to have to listen to what the others would say whether she liked it or not.

"Hm," Tenten said as she went over things in her head. "So, you and your boyfriend have been dating for three weeks, he's suddenly being… different and you want to breakup with him but you're too into him to do so," she said as she gave a quick summary.

"Yes," Ino said. "Any advice that you could give me?" she asked. She glanced slightly at Sakura to see he reaction. There was a frown present on the pink haired girl's face. _"I guess she finally figured it out," _Ino thought.

"Well, sorry Ino but… I really don't have any advice to give you," Yayuki said. "I'm kinda dealing with some issues of my own now –but I wish you luck!" she exclaimed.

Ino inwardly groaned. _"Hell! She usually thinks up with some of the best dude advice when Sakura can't," _she thought. _"I guess it's up to Hinata and Tenten now," _she hoped that they would be able to do it.

"Gee… thanks," Ino said as she tried to hide her slight irritation. Although, she made a small mental note to remind herself of figuring out what exactly it was that Yayuki was having problems with. But, she'll cross that bridge once she gets there because honestly, one problem at a time please.

"Ino," Hinata piped in. "If it were me, I would speak with the guy and tell him that his current behavior is bothering me," the Hyuuga said softly.

"You mean like… an intervention?" Ino asked as she tried to put what Hinata said in a way she understood. She wasn't one for _talking_; she liked interventions that would snap the person out of whatever funk they were currently in.

"Mhm," Hinata said as she placed down her water bottle. "If it's really bothering you that much, then speak with him. I'm sure that you two can easily work out your problems," she stated sweetly.

"That's a pretty great idea Hinata," Tenten said as she included herself in the conversation. "And it might just be the only solution. I mean, if you tried anything else and it got out of hand, you and that guy's relationship just might be permanently ruined Ino, if he caught you snooping or doing something else that's completely crazy," Tenten stated. She knew Ino and she knew for a fact that when it came to guys acting suspicious. Ino had a tendency to play a spy game which, as you might've guessed, never ended well.

"I see," Ino said. "Well, I'll certainly talk to him about it then; but I'm afraid of doing it by myself," she stated. She turned to look at Sakura who had been silently eating her lunch the entire time. "Sakura, would you mind coming with me to confront my boyfriend?" she asked sweetly.

Sakura stayed quiet; she was very annoyed at Ino at the moment. _"How could she," _she thought. _"How could she tell the girls about my problems with Atsushi? I told her not to tell them dammit!" _she screamed in her mind.

"Sakura!" the pinkette snapped her head towards Ino in pure annoyance. This did not go unnoticed by any of the girls sitting at the table. "Whoa… what's _your_ problem?" Ino asked as she saw the fierce look in Sakura's emerald eyes.

"I don't have a problem Ino," Sakura said as she tried very much not to yell at Ino. "What on Earth would make you think that?" she asked as she narrowed her eyes at the female.

Ino placed on a smug look on her face. So, this is the reaction she'd get from Sakura. Funny, she'd hope for something else like… yelling, screaming, threatening to cut off hair or ruin expensive bottles of makeup, you know, things Sakura's done to her in the past from when she grew her hair to her back in Elementary School and up to High School when Sakura had mixed together all her bottles of nail polish because of something she did.

But nope; instead all she got was a fake sentence of reassurance and small question. Ino inwardly sighed. She had thought that this would make Sakura expose the fact that Ino was really talking about her and her issues with Atsushi and finally let the other know.

But Sakura was such a stubborn girl that she always did the opposite of what you expected. Seriously. Couldn't she _once_ be predictable for even a single millisecond?

"It's just that," Ino finally said after moments of silence. "You seem a little… irritated," she said with a small, fake concern for her best friend.

"Oh, I'm not irritated," Sakura said. _"I'm mad as hell!" _she screamed inside her mind. "I'm just… annoyed that your boyfriend is acting the way he is; plus the fact that you never told us until now is also getting on my nerves quite a bit –but whatever, it's _your_ relationship, not _mine_," she said.

The other three girls at the table kept their eyes locked on the best friend duo. For some reason, they could just sense that there was a secret meaning behind this entire conversation that they weren't being told of. And while they were very curious as to what was actually going on, they knew that when Sakura and Ino were acting like this, that it was best to let them solve their issues by themselves.

So they stayed silent.

"I'm well-aware of this, thank you," Ino said. "But tell me, I'm very curious as to what you think of my boyfriend's weird behavior," she saw Sakura narrow her eyes at her.

"I think nothing of it," Sakura said. "You should just leave him alone and let him do as he wishes," she stated; which was actually what she decided upon doing with Atsushi –a.k.a. what resulted in Ino going into a fake depression for a week just to do this.

"Oh Sakura," Ino said with a slight pang of sadness in her voice. "You're really being stupid right now, you know that?" she asked.

Sakura abruptly stood from the table. All the different colored eyes landed on her as they stared at the annoyed pinkette. She had her eyes closed but opened them and landed her fierce gaze at Ino with an angry expression on her face. She's had it. Sure she asked for Ino's advice the day after her failed date with Atsushi (and yes, she's calling it a fail), but then she kindly asked the blonde to drop the subject but Ino's refusing to do so. And this annoyed her to no end.

"I'm not acting stupid," she said as she stared into Ino's baby blue eyes. "I'm simply being logical and going with a theory that says that, at some point, couples should spend some time alone once-in-a-while," she said. She grabbed her tray, only half of her food done and began to walk away. She wasn't being stupid; she was being logical… right?

Of course she was!

She's never been a stupid person! All her life, the lowest grade that she's ever gotten was _B_ and that was just because she had accidently misspelled the same word several times as she tried to type faster. But that doesn't really count. The point is, that she's a very intelligent girl and always will be.

And while she hasn't had much experience in the relationship department, she always turned to magazines for advice and they always say the same thing.

Spouses need alone time.

And now she was giving Atsushi his and Ino was acting like a complete jerk. Why couldn't she just understand that she had already come to a decision that she was partly okay with, and leave it like that?

"_**Because she's **__**Ino**__**! That's why," **_Sakura's eyes widened as, for the first time since she broke up with Sasuke, she actually heard her inner.

"_Oh my god… you're back?" _she shouted at the separate persona that she somehow created for herself inside her head. She hadn't heard from it for over six months, and to be honest, she thought that it was gone for good! But apparently not.

"_**Of course I'm back! What, you thought you got rid of me?"**_ her inner self asked.

"_Kinda," _she thought. Her inner scoffed at this.

"_**Well too bad pinky! You can never get rid of me because I'm a permanent part of you. I'm your conscious for crying out loud. And no one **__**ever**__** gets rid of their conscious –it's impossible," **_her inner stated. Sakura sighed. And to think she was having such a great time thinking that she had finally grown out of the habit of talking to herself. Why must good things always end?

"Great," she said aloud.

"_**I know right!" **_her inner shouted.

"_I was being sarcastic!" _she screamed in her mind at what her inner said.

"_**I know that," **_her inner stated. Sakura groaned causing her inner to chuckle evilly. _**"It's so good to be back," **_it stated.

* * *

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Kameko asked as she looked at the group of people who she sat with at the lunch table. She wore a bright smile on her face and didn't seem to notice that one (maybe more) male(s) wished she was gone and was replaced with a different blonde-blue-eyes-female.

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked as he tried his hardest to hide the irritation from his voice. He hated how this girl was just trying to take Ino's place in the group. Normally it would be her to be sitting so close to Shikamaru that they looked like a single person. It would be her that usually wore outfits only once and then threw a fit if someone said to wear one again. It would be her to wear that same pink lipstick and wear a bright smile on her face. It would be her… not this one.

And he hated it, he really did, how this girl was trying to take Ino's place. Don't get him wrong, he wasn't into Ino, he was just so accustomed to having her do all these things that to see someone else do it really annoyed him. He hated change. He always has. And now this girl –and the other one- were trying to take up the roles that both Hinata and Ino used to play in their group. And that irritated him to no end.

"I mean," Kameko stated as she kept her gaze on Sasuke while still holding on tightly onto Shikamaru's arm. "We aren't seriously just gonna sit here all day and wait until we have to go to class, are we?" she asked. "We should do something before we're forced to start _learning_ again," she stated.

Sasuke inwardly growled. _"We?"_ he thought. _"Does she __actually__ think that the guys and I accepted either of them into the group?" _he honestly thought that they were smarter than that. But it seemed like he was proven wrong.

"Kameko," Shikamaru said as he noticed the slightly irritated hint behind Sasuke cold and emotionless eyes. He could see it because he's known Sasuke for such a long time that it was easy for him to decipher the hidden emotion within. "Just be quiet. There're things we have to deal with," he stated.

"What? Are you serious?" Kameko asked as she turned her head towards her boyfriend. "You're just gonna sit here all day and talk?" she asked.

"Yes," Sasuke said. He watched as Kameko looked at him before sighing. She removed her arms from around Shikamaru's and looked over at Etsu who was leaning against Naruto.

"Well that's boring, come on Etsu, I have something more exciting for us girls to do besides _talk_," she stated as she stood from her seat and placed her hands on her hip. The shorter girl nodded her head. It seemed like she was also hoping to do something more exciting as well.

"Aright," Etsu said. She stood up and placed a kiss on Naruto's cheek. "Bye Naruto-kun, bye guys," she said as she and Kameko began to walk off with Kameko leading the way.

None of the males bothered to respond to the girl's goodbye. Instead they were perfectly silent until the two females disappeared behind one of the doors that led out of the Indoor Lunch Area. Once they were completely gone and they were certain that they wouldn't come back soon, Sasuke slammed his hand on the table and caught their attention immediately.

"Anger issues Uchiha?" Neji asked with a raised hand. Sasuke narrowed his dark eyes at the Hyuuga male before trying to calm down a little. Now was not the time for a confrontation.

"Shikamaru, Naruto," he said as he purposely ignored Neji's statement. Both spiky-haired males looked at him. "You _need_ to get rid of those two. They're beginning to piss me off," he said.

"You don't think we feel the same way?" Shikamaru asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and blew away another pesky strand of his brown hair. God he missed when he had it in a ponytail.

"Apparently not because you're still dating them," Sasuke said as he pointed out the fact that Shikamaru's been having a relationship with Kameko for over six months now.

"Look Sasuke," Shikamaru said. "I can't stand Kameko either. I mean, look at me dammit! She has me being a person that I'm _not_," while he normally would be trying to hide his annoyance towards the blonde haired girl, now that she was gone, and it was only them, he didn't bother doing it. "That girl is getting out of control –and as much as I want to dump her, I _can't_," he said as he began to exhale through his nose to calm down.

"Look Shikamaru," Sasuke said as he completely understood why the male wouldn't break up with the _other_ blonde. "I understand that you think that she's your ticket to getting Ino back but… I'm beginning to wonder about the methods we're using," he said in almost hushed tone.

"Really," Hitomi said. "Why the sudden second-guess?" he asked. He thought that the way they were handling things was… okay. Not perfect or annoying but… _okay_.

"Well," Sasuke started. "We've been doing this for over two months now and they've yet to be even a bit closer to falling for us again," he stated.

"Actually, Hinata and I are getting pretty close," Naruto piped in. The group of males looked at him with slightly curious looks hidden behind their usual stoic expressions (Naruto was the only one who never wore that expression on a daily basis). "I mean… she's been talking to me a lot more, smiling at me, and I've even once had lunch with her while at work –but," he said.

"Is something the matter?" Sasuke asked. If everything seemed to be going fine with Naruto, then he was pretty curious as to what could possibly be the male's trouble in paradise.

"Etsu," Naruto said. Immediately all the males knew what Naruto was going to say before he even opened his mouth again. "She keeps coming in between Hinata and me. I've been trying to walk Hinata back to her dorm for a week now and every time she agrees and we're about to leave, Etsu suddenly comes in and forces Hinata out of the room," he said.

"That girl has got to go," Sasuke said. He already knew this, they all did, but now it was clearer than ever that if they kept those two girls in their group, they'd never get back the ones they actually wanted.

"I know but," Naruto said. "She scares me," he stated.

"Dammit Naruto!" Sasuke exclaimed. "You're afraid of some chick who isn't even the one you really want to date. Grow a damn pair and break it off with her," he said. He saw the nervous look in Naruto's eye. "If she goes psycho or anything, get a restraining order or whatever," he said.

"Sasuke, I don't think you know what Etsu's capable of," Naruto said as he suddenly grew a little afraid of the thought of breaking it off with the short girl. "I mean, she may be small, but dammit she's evil," he recalled past moments where she showed her true colors to him.

"Then one of you be with him when he breaks up with her," Sasuke said as he turned his attention to the other three males. "Shikamaru, since you're gonna break up with Kameko anyways, you two should go together and prevent any injuries and whatnot," he stated.

Shikamaru was quiet as he thought about what Sasuke said. While yes, Kameko was getting in the way of him talking to Ino, he wasn't so sure that breaking up with her was the right solution. He wasn't into her or anything but it was just that… lately… Ino's beginning to look… sad and almost… alone. Something was going on with her and he wanted to see if it had anything to do with his dating of Kameko.

"I'm not so sure Uchiha," the tactician said.

"Why not?" Sasuke asked with an eyebrow raised. He was very curious as to why Shikamaru suddenly refused to break up with Kameko after he described the true hell it was, dating her.

"Well," Shikamaru started. "I noticed the other day that Ino was exhibiting some strange before. I just want to make sure that it isn't with the fact that she's jealous before I break up with Kameko," the genius stated.

"I see," Sasuke said. "It sounds like the smart thing to do –but you're still going with Naruto when he breaks up with Etsu. Pick out any signs that that girl might go crazy or something and prevent any possible injuries. Understood," Sasuke stated to the male who nodded his head in agreement.

"Now then, on to different business," Sasuke said. The issue that had been bothering him the most was now solved, and with it, two progress reports. "How are things going with Tenten and Yayuki, Neji and Hitomi?" now for the last two.

"Tenten slapped me," Neji said.

"I'm a witness," Shikamaru stated.

"No way, Tenten slapped you," Naruto said with a grin on his face. "What the hell did you do Hyuuga?" he asked. He found it so funny that Tenten actually managed to land a hand on Neji. He never thought that anyone could touch Neji. For once, he loved being wrong –it was so funny!

Neji sighed. "All I did was kiss her –and I never would've gotten slapped had Shikamaru not decided to come back to the dorm at that moment," Neji added as he turned his head to glare at the male across from him.

"Hey, had I known that you were kissing her, I never would've entered. I had no clue –therefore you can't be upset at me," Shikamaru said. "Next time, lock the door first," Neji narrowed his eyes at him.

"You would've unlocked it anyways, _genius_," Neji said through gritted teeth as he showed his annoyance towards the Nara male.

"Then write a message on that dry erase board against the door," Shikamaru said. He watched as Neji sighed and crossed his arms before leaning back in a little in his chair. This was a sign that he was actually _considering_ something.

"Like what?" Neji asked.

"Figure it out. And when you do, tell me," Shikamaru said. This earned him growl from Neji.

"Alright, back to business," Sasuke said. "So you kissed Tenten, fine, whatever, at least it means you're making progress," Sasuke stated. He then turned his eyes to the last of his friends. "What about you Hitomi?" he asked as he referred to his progress with Yayuki.

"She's about to break up with Miomi," he stated. And yes, even though it's been practically over a week since she's heard the truth. She still hasn't broken up with the male. It's starting to get on his nerves.

"Good," Sasuke said. "Why?"

"I told him about him having a child," Hitomi said.

"When?" Sasuke asked.

"A while ago," he responded. He really wished that he could instead be talking about her breaking up with Miomi and not in the progress of it. Honestly, what the hell was she waiting for? She should've ended her relationship with him after she learned the truth.

"Speed up the process," Sasuke said.

"I'm trying but… she just…" he sighed out as he started to gain control of his emotions. "I think she's too into the guy to break up with him," he said with a hidden sad tone to it. But the others easily caught it.

"She isn't. She's just hesitating like Shikamaru is with Kameko," Sasuke said. "All you have to do is push her closer to that point and then be there when their relationship crumbles into microscopic pieces," he stated.

"I will," Hitomi vowed.

"Good," Sasuke said. At that moment, the bell telling them that their lunch break was over, sounded throughout the entire area. The guys began to stand, grabbing their backpacks in the process, and gave each other brief nods. "We'll speak again later," he stated.

They nodded and then went in separate directions. Sasuke was glad that they hadn't gotten to speaking about him and Sakura. He really wasn't up to telling them about the mini-mission he'd have to complete first.

"_Make friends with the skater-brat," _Sasuke thought as he made his way down the hallway. _"This plan better fucking work," _otherwise… he and Itachi are going to have a _really_ unpleasant Thanksgiving conversation.

* * *

.

.

.

* * *

She finished off the last question in the test that they were given. Sighing, she placed her pencil down as she began to review over her answers. They all _looked_ correct, and they all _felt_ correct, but the fact that they _were_ correct was up to the teacher and not her. Don't get her wrong, she was sure that she'd at least get a passing grade but… this wasn't exactly her best subject so far, you know.

Looking up at the large desk a few feet away, her eyes locked on the teacher of the class. He seemed to be as bored as ever and she immediately looked away when his eyes almost caught hers.

"_Get a grip Ino," _she said to herself. _"You need to stop staring at him. Otherwise… you might get in trouble or something," _she thought. She was pretty sure that staring at a teacher to the point where you actually start picturing them naked could cause some unwanted trouble.

But she couldn't help it!

Mr. Suzuki was just _so gorgeous_!

I mean, he was like… the youngest teacher at the school (that she didn't have a past with), and he had such an amazing personality. He often cracked small jokes and would smile at the students. Hell he's even offered to give some students private tutoring to help them.

And while she wasn't one of them –although she was considering it-, she didn't want him to think that she wasn't capable of handling anything he gave them. And while, yes, at first she believed that the class would be the easiest yet. She had finished reading the Mythology book in a week and was like, the only one who passed a pop quiz he gave on it. But then, he started giving out hard assignments and she was up almost half the night trying to finish them.

So yeah, this class wasn't exactly the piece of cake that she had dreamed it to be. It was like the complete opposite of that. She never would've thought how harsh Mr. Suzuki would be. And then he always seems to make it better by just flashing an enchanting smile and showing off his perfectly white teeth.

She, like every other girl in the class, instantly forgave him as their insides just… melted. Honestly, it should be a crime to use your looks like that. But then again, even if he were about to be arrested, she was certain he'd somehow make it seem like he'd done nothing wrong and get away with the crime.

God… he seemed almost untouchable.

"Pencils down," Mr. Suzuki said as he placed down the book he had been reading. He looked up at his class to see that none of them were writing. He smiled at this. He liked a class that did as he said when he said it. "Pass your tests down the row to your left and the last person there, come down here and hand it to me," he stated. He went back to reading his book (that was the complete opposite of Kakashi's) that the class would be reading in a few months. Once in a while, he scribbled down notes in it.

Ino, being the last person in her row, gathered all the papers together and stood from her seat. She, along with five other students, began to take the papers down to Mr. Suzuki. As she neared him, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous. But what did she expect? She was attracted to her teacher who was only a few years older than her. She was pretty sure that if she had met him outside of the college, that they'd probably be dating right now.

"_Bad Ino; stop __thinking__ about that," _she mentally scolded herself. She shouldn't be having such thoughts about her professor. Although… she couldn't exactly say that about the other girls in her class who were probably imagining that and more.

Being the good student that she played herself out to be, Ino placed the papers on his desk and their eyes momentarily connected. His dark blue ones clashed with her lighter blue before he looked away. She blushed and turned around as she made her way back to her seat in the third row.

"_Did that seriously just happen?" _she thought as she began to walk up the few steps there. _"Did he just make eye-contact with me? Oh… my… god!" _she exclaimed. He did, he totally did! He made eye-contact with her –and only her!

When the other students had placed the tests on the tables, he had kept his eyes on the book. But when she had done it, he had looked at her. Their different blue colored eyes (or eye on her part) clashed for more than a few seconds before he looked away.

"_What does this mean?" _she thought. _"Does it mean that… he likes me? Omg!" _she blushed deeper at the thought of her male teacher liking her. She took her seat and cupped her face to her hands as she tried to hide the deep shade of scarlet.

"_No, impossible," _she continued. _"He can't like me –well, yeah he could, I mean, he is a male after all and look at me!" _she exclaimed. _"I'm a hot blonde! So yes, he could like me but… why am I stressing over this?" _she thought. _"It was just eye-contact. People make eye-contact in the halls __tons__ of times but… he only looked up at __me__," _she inwardly groaned. This was beginning to become a serious issue.

"Class," her head shot up at the sound of his deep voice. God that thing was just so alluring. "Tonight's homework assignment requires the entire week to be done," he said. "I want a ten-page essay on the first ten chapters of the book we're reading," he said. Groans were heard throughout the class.

Mr. Suzuki sighed as he heard them. Come on, he was basically asking for one page a chapter. It's not like he asked for something that was _10,000_ words (1,000 words per chapter)! He placed his book against his chest as he looked at his class. He noticed upset looks on nearly all their faces… except one.

"Don't groan," he said in a soft voice. "It's only a page per chapter –not even front and back," he said. He saw the female population of the classroom grow faint blushes and he placed the book to his face as he hid his smirk.

Ino looked at all the females of the class. They were blushing at the change of tone their teacher used. She had to admit, his teaching methods were very… resulting. It seemed like he could make those girls do anything. And knowing that some of them were close to the boys, the boys would do anything the girls said just to make them happy.

Respect.

She really couldn't give him anything else. She held a high respect for this man even though she does think that he's suddenly become infatuated with her. She groaned as she brought the issue up… again.

"_He doesn't like me, he doesn't like me, he doesn't l-"_

"Yamanaka, I'd like to see you after classes end."

"_He __does__ like me."_

* * *

.

* * *

She glanced at him from the side of the room. He was busy taking notes as Mrs. Uzumaki went on with her lecture about Cosmic Origins. It was all very confusing stuff that dealt with the story of the universe but our story as well. It was actually a part of a series and currently, she was continuing to give them the first part that was called, _Cosmology: Making Sense of the Universe_. This had been the first thing that she threw at them after basic introductions were done back in September, and she was barely halfway done with it.

"So, just to recap what cosmology actually is, always remember that our _cosmology_ is the sum of our assumptions and deductions of how the universe behaves," she stated. She quickly jotted this down in her notebook; knowing perfectly well that it would be on the test.

As the long, red haired woman continued her lecture, she let her eyes and mind wander from what was being said and written to the person at the other end of the classroom. Her mind filled with so many thoughts of him and had absolutely nothing to do with the lecture.

"_What am I going to do?" _she thought. _"I should just end it with him but… for some reason I can't," _Yayuki gained a sad look in her eyes as she kept staring at the back of Miomi's head.

What she learned about him was practically the main thing she's been thinking about. She still couldn't believe that the guy she thought would help her ended up doing the exact opposite. I mean, getting one of her best friends pregnant… purposely keeping it from her just so he could do the same to her… what kind of sick-o was he?

"_No, you still don't know that that's what he wanted to do," _she thought as she took note of her previous thoughts. _"Just because Hitomi said it, doesn't mean that it's true. But then again… __Hitomi said it__… and he'd never lie to me –I know it," _this was just so fucked up right now. Her ex-boyfriend had told her something about her current boyfriend that had a large possibility of being 100% true due to the fact that he's _never_ lied to her. And while some might say that he was lying, just to break her and Miomi up just so he could have her again, she knew that that was the real lie.

"_He wouldn't do that," _she thought. _"He's not the type of person to make up lies just to ruin a relationship… he isn't Miomi," _flashbacks about what Miomi and his two sisters had done to break her and Hitomi up in the first place came rushing to her. She bit her bottom as she tried to keep the small whimpers of sadness from escaping her throat as all the fun times she had with Hitomi were suddenly destroyed because of the Terrible Triplets.

"_Dammit what am I doing?" _she screamed at herself. _"I'm in a relationship with a guy that possibly wants to __rape__ me. Girls who end up in my place end up getting __killed__ when they try to break up with the guy and it's too late… I don't want to __die__!" _she screamed in her mind.

She closed her eyes shut tightly as the mere thought of her family and friends crying at her funeral rolled into her already messed up head. She bit the inside of her cheek to keep the whimpers from escaping her mouth and drawing attention to herself.

She inhaled through her nose as she gripped onto her pencil tightly and tried to calm herself down. Her heart was beating at an impeccable rate and she was scared that at some point it'll burst. Sighing, she opened her purple eyes and wiped away the few tears that had formed on the brim of her cornea. She blinked a few times as she dusted away the tears and decided that she'd solve this later. Right now, she had to take notes.

She looked at the board and her jaw nearly dropped at everything that was written and sketched on. She had no clue Mrs. Uzumaki could write so fast!

"_Hell! Naruto's mom is quick!" _she thought. She tightly held onto her pencil as she tried to copy down everything what was written. Time was up the second that bell rung.

"Alright class, for tonight's assignment, I want you all to memorize these notes and prepare for a quiz tomorrow that will determines your grade for the semester," Mrs. Uzumaki stated. The class wrote down the assignment and began to pile out.

Yayuki, knowing that she'd be called out if she was seen trying to copy down_ everything_ that she hadn't written, sighed as she stood up and grabbed the pencil and notebook with a sad look on her face. She walked out of the room like everyone else and kept her head down. She momentarily raised the notebook to see what she had managed to copy down and stumbled upon a sad discovery.

"_What does this even say?" _

She looked down at all the words and scribbles that showed just how rushed she had been in her haste to get the notes down. She couldn't make out a single word of it and the diagrams that had been so neatly and perfectly written on the board looked like a Monkey had done them.

"_Oh man, this is so unfair," _she thought. Sighing, she continued onto her next class and stopped when she saw a pair of shoes stop in front of her. For a moment, she thought that it was Hitomi. It was exactly the type of thing he'd do by stopping her in a hallway full of people to see what was wrong with her and give people the wrong idea. But when she looked up and met sparkling red eyes, for some reason, she felt sadness that they weren't crystal clear.

"Hey Miomi," she said softly as she looked at her boyfriend. She had honestly wished that it was, in fact, Hitomi. Because she knew that he'd find some way to help her. And while before, the thought of him helping her out would've annoyed her, considering the new piece of information she had learned and the events that took place after, she was actually okay with seeing him and receiving assistant from the bright male.

"Hey love," Miomi said with a charming smile on his face (although it had no effect on her anymore). "Why the sad face?" he asked. He showed a hint of concern but she knew that if it was Hitomi asking her that, his entire face would show the emotion and not just his eyes.

"Oh… nothing Miomi –it's just," she was so uncomfortable talking to him. How could she ever look at him the same after she learned the truth? Hell, she had even called Kin to see if it was all true and she felt so hollow when Kin approved what Hitomi said.

And her one sentence really got her…

"_Oh god he's crying again," _Kin had said. _"Could you hold on for just a bit Yayuki? I have to see what's wrong with Miomi Jr."_

…Yeah… that stung like hell.

"_He has a child named after him," _she thought as she looked at Miomi's face. _"A child that he's been keeping secret from me since we started dating –no! Since he actually had it!" _the sadness in her eyes grew as she looked away from the red haired male.

"What's wrong love," Miomi said as he noticed that Yayuki was no longer looking at him. "Please tell me. I hate it when you're sad," ironic that he was the one causing her this emotion in the first place.

He reached out to touch her and Yayuki flinched before moving back. "Please Miomi," she said as she looked up at his shocked expression. "Just… leave me alone… I need some time to think through some things… please," she begged. She didn't want him touching her or coming in contact with her until she resolved her feelings for him.

Giving her a curious and concerned face, but never one to debate anything that she asked of him, he nodded his head and turned around to walk to his next class. Yayuki stared at his retrieving back and felt nothing in her heart at what just happened.

"_Had that been Hitomi, he would've argued with me just so he could try and figure out my strange behavior," _she thought. _"But Miomi just left… he doesn't care about me… he doesn't care about my feelings…" _sadness hit her like a punch in the face as she realized that the smile Miomi always gave her was fake and just full of lust and not _real_ emotions. _"He doesn't care about me," _she repeated. _"He just wants me in his bed." _

This was so fucked up.

* * *

She placed her phone away as she took a seat in her World History class. She waited while Mr. Uzumaki was taking attendance and too engrossed in doing a basic review before pulling her phone out again and looking at the message that had just been sent to her. The darn thing had been vibrating for the pass ten minutes. She had been aching for it to stop.

* * *

To: Tenten

From: Neji

Why the hell should I know? You're the one who keeps slapping me every time we kiss.

* * *

She glared at it.

"_Such an idiot," _she thought. Quickly, and before anyone noticed, she typed Neji back a message. A while, yes, she was aware that the Hyuuga and her were no longer a couple, she was just wondering if _he_ knew that. The bastard had been sending her texts since last week on Sunday after she stormed out of his room.

It was beginning to get on her nerves.

* * *

To: Neji

From: (a mad as hell) Tenten

Listen Hyuuga, you better stop fucking texting me okay! We're no longer a damn couple dammit! And the only reason I let you kiss me was because I was caught off guard! LET. IT. GO!

* * *

Seriously!

She was beginning to wonder if the guy actually thought that the kiss meant something to her and that it was a sign that they should get back together. She sent the message away and then quickly placed her phone back in her pocket before noticing that Mr. Uzumaki was now beginning the basic lesson.

She quickly took out her notebook and textbook. She began to tune into what he was saying just as she already had her basic heading written down. Mr. Uzumaki was now tackling Africa and how while gold was mostly found there, that they would gladly trade it, in exchange for salt to keep their food from perishing too quickly.

She, for one, found that strange. I mean, gold… over salt… are you kidding me? If that was her, she'd forget all about the salt and keep the freaking gold. I mean, it gold dammit! Who in the right mind would trade gold for something as useless as salt. So it kept their food from reaching its expiration date too quickly and allowed it to taste better, so what! With the gold, they could've easily let their empire grow and become one of the richest continents out there. But no; apparently salt was more important.

"_Not what I would've chosen to kept, but okay," _she thought as she finished writing what Mr. Uzumaki Said. At that moment, her phone chose to vibrate again and she thanked the big man upstairs that Mr. Uzumaki was too busy writing on the board to even looked at her.

She pulled her phone out and looked at the new message that Neji had sent her. This one sparked a pretty good flame in her that made her wish that Neji was in this class so she could curse him out face-to-face.

* * *

To: Tenten

From: Neji

You don't control who I text woman. I can text whoever the hell I want, when I want; including you.

And I'm well-aware of the fact that we are no longer romantically linked. But that doesn't mean that deep down, behind that stubborn bitch inside of you, you know you want to get back together (wink).

Caught off guard? Stop making excuses Tenten. You know very well that you were aware of my close proximity to you. Besides, don't act like you didn't it or think about it after it happened.

Don't lie to yourself.

* * *

"_What the hell does he know?" _she screamed as she decided to not message back but just put her cell phone away. _"Nothing! He knows absolutely nothing about me or what I feel! Ugh! He's such a bastard!" _but don't worry, she'll get him back for his assumptions. After all, she will see him in their Biology Class. And she'll purposely sit next to him just so she can scream at his ass whenever no one's looking.

"_Stupid Hyuuga," _she thought. She momentarily glanced up to see what Mrs. Uzumaki had written down and wasn't surprised at all to see one-fourth of the large white board in class, covered with drawings and words and more. _"He thinks he knows __everything__! Ugh. How had I even managed to date him?" _it was now really beyond her on how she managed to make it through, at least, four months of dating him. In fact, she's beginning to think that she was drunk the entire time and wasn't even aware of what she had been doing.

"_That has to be it," _she thought. _"I was probably drunk –but… how can someone be drunk for four straight months? I've never heard about that before and don't even think it's __possible__," _it was all confusing to her. At least, now it was considering how she couldn't stand Neji and his newly arrogant behavior.

I mean, he was so different now. Before, he was silent, barely ever spoke, always glared, very rarely smirked and he didn't even flirt. But now… dammit! He's flirted with half the girls in the class already! And she's seen him even kissing one or two. And to be honest, it angered her.

She was so annoyed that now that they weren't in a relationship, that he was just… whoring himself around. I mean, getting phone numbers, promising to go on dates with them, and then kissing one or two. It didn't even seem like he cared that they weren't dating anymore. It was like he was happy that he had somehow gotten rid of her so that he could act like himself around other females.

"_What if we never truly had a relationship?" _the thought immediately hit her. _"What if he was just dating me to get the fan-girls to back off?" _anger and sadness ruled over her emotions as she thought of the possibility that their relationship was fake.

But that was impossible.

They had done so many things together.

He had been her first kiss, time and even love. He seemed to be really enjoying himself in the relationship and completely happy with it. He went to huge lengths to protect her from the fan-girls that wanted so badly to murder her. He had done so, so much. And not once had he hidden his feelings for her when they were in private. He always showed how he truly felt –and not of it seemed fake.

"_What am I thinking?" _she thought. _"Our relationship couldn't have been fake… He was too into it –too committed for it to be completely fake… right?" _she groaned as she noticed that now half the board was full and she'd barely written down a sentence.

She was starting to write things down when her phone buzzed. She gasped as she felt it. He couldn't seriously be texting her… right? No; of course not. It had to be one of the girls. Maybe it was Sakura sending her a text about why she had left lunch or something. It couldn't be from him. It was impossible.

She gulped down as she kept her pencil in her hand and used her free hand to pull out her phone. She kept looking up and down at the board as she checked the application and sure it enough it state she had a new message.

"_Please be from one of the girls, please be from one of the girls," _she thought. She quickly opened the message and felt her heart momentarily stop. _"I said please dammit!" _Neji had texted her back. And what was in it, was a huge surprise to her.

* * *

To: Tenten

From: Neji

Tenten, look, I can tell that you're annoyed with me. But, all joking aside, I know that you think about the times we were together. And to be honest, so do I.

And I want to spend some time with you.

If you'd like, meet me at the café after classes around 6pm. We could just hang out and I promise that I'll be on my best behavior. So what do you say Tenten?

Want to go out on a date?

* * *

"_H-h-he's… a-a-asking… m-m-me… out?"_ she thought. She read over it and her face heated up. He was asking her out. He was actually asking her out. _"Oh my god!" _she screamed inside her mind. Out of all the things she had expected him to do, she _really_ hadn't expected something like _that_.

"_Why is he asking me out? What the hell should I do? Should I accept or… oh my god! I'm so confused!" _she kept staring at the message, His words showed that he was being serious. He actually wanted to go out on a date with her.

"_God this is so dangerous," _she thought. _"If I go out on a date with him… who's to say I won't fall for him again?" _and she didn't want that to happen. After they broke up, she had spent a month recovering from the predicament and after she was better, she swore never to fall for him again. She told herself that never, not even once would she even look at that loser. And already she had become a liar because she's looked at him more than once.

Hell, she's kissed him dammit! That day he had her pressed against a wall, her insides had crumbled along with her defenses and she was _actually_ feeling willing. Had it not been for him pulling away and dropping her, she was pretty certain that she would've wrapped her legs around him and would wake up the next day in his dorm with only a blanket covering her. That's how dangerous the situation had gotten.

But then again, this was different. He wouldn't press her against a wall. He said he'd be on his best behavior. It was just a harmless date –scratch that, it was a harmless gathering of two exes to speak with one another. People did it all the time and not _once_ has she heard about the two people getting back together.

It was simply… impossible.

Sighing, she realized that she had spent over five minutes thinking about this. She still had her phone open and the message wide and clear for anyone to read. Quickly, she snapped her phone close. She'd answer when she had a response.

Because at the moment…

…She was clueless.

* * *

.

* * *

She was so glad that it was the last hour of the day!

(Hell, everyone was. It's the last hour of the day!)

Sighing, she continued to water the plants and to check their growth and whatnot. For her extracurricular class at the end of the day, she chose to help take care of the plants in the school's green house. And let me tell you, there was a reason they gave people credit for this. I mean, the green house was huge!

It was like the size of your average house and had different rooms inside that held different temperatures and accommodations for certain plants. One room even had to be spray painted black to make sure that no light's inside for very rare plants.

She finished watering some of the plants on the second floor and turned around. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of Etsu, who, the second they made eye-contact, began to glare at her.

She quickly turned away.

She and Etsu didn't exactly have the best relationship at this point. Since she's kissed Naruto (and she still blushed every time she remembered this), Etsu's been going through extreme lengths to make sure that her and Naruto weren't alone at work for any amount of time. And believe me, that was pretty hard to do considering Naruto was the Veterinarian's Assistant, and she was, in fact, the Veterinarian.

And now, every time that Naruto somehow manages to convince her to let him take her back to her dorm or go out to lunch with him, Etsu pops in and completely drags him away from her as if he were some stupid animal and she, his master.

She didn't like that.

Naruto was a regular person and deserves to do as he wished. Sure they were dating, but when Naruto and she dated, she always let him spend time with the guys and never really asked for all his attention. And yet, he gave it to her.

Whenever she'd walk in a room, he'd immediately turn all of his attention and stay focused on her. Even if she was just passing by, searching for something, or just getting a glass of water, he managed to make it seem like she was the center of attention and wouldn't continue doing what he had been, until after she left. She had blushed every time he did this. She wasn't exactly used to having so much attention.

But Naruto gave it to her.

And she liked secretly liked it.

She liked having him pay attention to her. But she never made it seem like she liked it, or hated it. She always just blushed because it was so new to her that a guy _actually_ paid attention to her like she was the Sun and everything revolved around her. And not just any guy, but one of the hottest guys of the school; and that really made her blush.

"Hi Hinata!" she flinched when she heard Etsu's voice. She turned towards the older –and yet shorter- female as she looked down at her.

"Hi Etsu," she said softly. She was suddenly feeling nervous. Why the hell was Etsu talking to her? She was pretty certain that Etsu had made it perfectly clear that she hated her guts to no end. And yes, she's shown this fact more than once. So why was she suddenly talking to her?

"How's it going?" Etsu asked as she titled her water can to sprinkle droplets of liquid onto the growing plants.

"Fine," she responded. She decided to just keep giving the female one-word responses so that she could easily avoid any possible conflict. She was never a fighter, and believed in peace instead of war, but it seemed like Etsu didn't believe in this and would fight her if she got angry enough.

"That's good; I guess you and I are feeling the same, huh?" Etsu asked as she got closer to her. Hinata could sense it. She was beginning to go into very dangerous territory.

"Probably," she stated.

"Well," Etsu stretched out the word. "Want to hear why I'm so giddy today?" she asked.

"_No, but I have a pretty good clue why," _Hinata thought in her mind. She wasn't a mean person or anything but even she had to admit that she was getting very annoyed at Etsu flaunting the fact that she and Naruto were in a relationship in her face.

"Okay," she said. Like I said, she wasn't a mean person, and she already knew why so… it wouldn't be that big of a shock anyways.

Etsu giggled with a slightly evil tint in it. She was sure that Hinata's reaction would be exactly what she suspected. "Well, the other day, Naruto and I were on a date and-" Hinata tuned the girl out as she went into the details of the date. She didn't feel like hearing this.

Sighing, she noticed that her watering can was getting empty. She began to walk over to where the sink was that they used to refill the cans and Etsu, thinking that Hinata was hearing every word that was being said, followed the girl as she filled up the grass green can.

Hinata kept a solemn look on her face as she placed the can under the spout and turned the hot water on. She was about to turn on the cold when something Etsu said froze her hand like ice on the knob.

"W-what?" she asked as she turned to look at the shorter girl. Did she really just say that… Naruto…

"You heard me," Etsu stated. She had an evil glint in her eyes as she noticed the way Hinata's pearls widened in shock. The Hyuuga's face was extremely pale and it didn't even seem like she was breathing. "Naruto-kun and I have made sweet, sweet love," she stated.

"Ah!" Hinata screamed. She quickly removed her hand from under the water spout. It seemed that she had moved it in her shock. The hot water was boiling and burnt her hand. She looked at it and noticed that some of her skin was pinker than before. But that did very little to distract her from the aching pain in her heart.

"Shocked in pain, I see," Etsu noted.

Hinata's cheeks puffed as she burned with anger inside of her. This was the last straw. "That's not why you idiot!" she snapped as she turned to Etsu. "I just burnt my hand under the water –I'm not shocked that you and Naruto are… are… fucking!" she shouted. Blinded by anger (and jealousy) Hinata unconsciously grabbed the water can full of hot water and threw it at Etsu.

"Ah!" the girl shrieked as the immensely hot water came in contact with her skin. "You bitch!" she shouted. She swung for Hinata, but because she had her eyes closed and had no clue where she was aiming, she missed.

"I'd rather be a bitch than a whore," Hinata muttered. She soon began to run away. Hot tears began to slide down her eyes at what she had just heard. She couldn't believe it. Naruto had… Naruto had… Naruto had…

"_How could he!"_ she screamed inside her head as she ran from the stairs and headed for the door out of the green house. _"How could he do such a thing? They've only known each other for a few months… why did he do it!" _despite the fact that she and Naruto were broken up, Naruto still held a power over her that he didn't even know of. She was still very much in love with him but hadn't taken him back because she didn't want to deal with heartbreak again.

"_How ironic," _she thought as she pushed pass the doors. From behind, she could hear the shouts of the teacher that was in charge telling her to get back and that the class wasn't over. But she ignored it. She was in too much pain to pay attention to anything.

Due to the fact that she wasn't paying attention, she hadn't noticed when she got near stairs going up and she tripped and fell. She used her arms to push her upper body up but continued to cry.

"Hey," she heard. "Are you alright?" she didn't recognize the voice but when she looked up and saw blonde hair, she began to cry harder. The mysterious boy crouched down as he began to become curious as to why a girl like her was crying out here and not in class.

Hinata momentarily opened her eyes when she felt him touch her. She looked at him and took notice that the boy was very handsome and had eyes that held concern for her. But how could that be? They don't even know each other and yet he was worried.

"Why are you crying?" he asked as he raised a finger to wipe away her tears. "Pretty girls like you shouldn't cry," he said with a sideways grin. At that, Hinata buried herself into his black leather jacket and continued to cry. The boy held onto her as she did so. And for the first time since she's been there, she actually felt… _safe_.

* * *

.

.

.

* * *

"Sakura wait up!" Ino shouted as she began to go after her best friend who was currently storming down the halls and ignoring her. She raced faster and pushed past the students getting in between her and Sakura as she tried to keep up with the girl's incredible speed walking.

"Leave me alone Ino!" Sakura shouted back as she continued to make her way over to the staircase. At the moment, all she wanted to do was drive back to her dorm (with or without Ino) and lock herself in the bathroom and take a good, long, hot bath to cool down all her nerves. And she really needed that. The entire day, she's been feeling nothing but tension in hee muscles –and all because of the loudmouth blonde following her!

"Sakura don't be like this!" Ino shouted as she continued to squeeze through more and more people. Dammit! She knew that they were all in a hurry to go back to their dorms or whatever, but did they have to linger so much? Honestly, it was beginning to feel like some boot camp training facility at the moment.

"Let me be Ino!" Sakura shouted. She sped up as she looked back and saw that Ino was closer and closer to her. She looked forward and saw that the staircase was only a few feet away; only a few more seconds until freedom. So she broke into a jog and sped up towards the professionally colored door.

"_Just a few more inches and I'm home free," _she thought.

"_**Don't you mean, and **__**we're**__** home free? But I get it. Run Sakura, run! She's gaining on us!" **_her inner shouted. To be honest, she almost actually _liked _having her inner back. Now she had someone to talk to about all the problems she can't talk to the girls about.

"_I can see that!" _she shouted at her persona.

"_**No you can't! You don't have eyes at the back of your head. And I should know, I**__** am**__** you –and last time I checked, your neck was eyes-free. And hickey-free too; you're gonna have to do something about that," **_her inner stated.

"_Shut up! I need to concentrate!" _she shouted. She managed to reach the door and was pushing through it when she felt someone tug at the back of her sweater. _"Dammit she caught me!" _she said with irritation laced in.

"_**I told you to run faster," **_her inner stated like it was all her fault. Sakura groaned as she turned to look back at Ino who was panting.

"Let go of me Ino," she stated as she tried to shrug her friend's hand off of her sweater. She now cursed wearing the thing just because she knew that it'd make her look cute. Fashion ruined everything sometimes.

"_**You better hope Ino never hears that; otherwise, you're in for one hell of a scream," **_her inner commented as she heard Sakura's previous thought about fashion.

"Not happening Sakura," Ino said. "I went through _way_ too much to try and catch you and don't _think _that I'll let all my efforts be wasted and just let you go because you want me to. I may be a blonde, but I'm certainly not dumb," she stated. She had to break through a kissing couple to get to Sakura and she wasn't about to lose a female costumer at the salon (she knew the girl) for nothing.

"Ugh," Sakura groaned. "Why can't you ever do as you're told!" she shouted in irritation. She managed to get Ino to release her grip on her hoodie but didn't think of running. She might as well give Ino a piece of her mind now so that once she got back to the dorm, she wouldn't have to worry about her anymore.

"Because I'm worried about my best friend!" Ino shouted at her. "I mean, come on Sakura, what the hell is your problem? Why do you seem so mad at me?" she asked.

"_She's playing dumb," _Sakura thought. This caused her to narrow her eyes at Ino.

"_**I don't think she's playing," **_her inner said.

"Oh like you don't know!" Sakura shouted.

"I don't!" Ino shouted back.

Sakura felt anger build up inside her. How could Ino possibly have forgotten already about what she did? Seriously, she was pretty sure that Ino wasn't an idiot or a very elderly person. There's no way that she could've forgotten about something like that so quickly. It's only been four hours since they had their lunch break for crying out loud!

"Pretending to be in a depression over a _boyfriend_ just so I'd be forced to hear what the girls have to say about_ my_ predicament!" she shouted. "How could you? I told you I didn't want to tell them and yet, you had me all worried and shit, making me think that you were in an _actual_ depression, just so you could secretly expose me!" she screamed.

Ino's baby blue eyes widened. So that's why Sakura was angry. To be honest, she hadn't forgotten, but she had thought that Sakura would just brush it off. She hadn't expected her to hold the grudge and then go through so many lengths to avoid her. Hell, she even moved seats when she sat next to her in the _only_ class they shared. She thought that it was over something else or that Sakura just wasn't up to being near their scary teacher. Never would she have expected that Sakura was still pissed at her.

"Sakura," she said softly.

"No, you know what," Sakura started. She wasn't up to hearing Ino's lame excuses and reasons again. "Forget it Ino! I'm tired of you always pulling crap like this. I told you to leave it alone –why the hell didn't you?"

"Because you needed help!" Ino shouted. "You needed to hear what they had to say! I was hoping that it'd snap you out of your stupid haze but… I guess it just forced you into an angry one," Ino said as she finally lowered her voice.

"Well that was a stupid thing to do," Sakura stated. Her voice wasn't as low and soft as Ino's, but it was certainly a few octaves lower than before (which many passerbies took note of).

"If caring about you makes me stupid then fine, I was being stupid," Ino stated. She was beginning to feel a little hurt at what Sakura said. How could she say that her feelings for her were now stupid? They were best friends for crying out loud. Caring about one another isn't a stupid thing to do at all.

"Hm," Sakura said. "Just make sure you don't do it again," she stated. Then she went inside the small area where all the staircases were and began to go down the four flights it took to get to the main floor.

"_**Did you seriously just tell Ino to not care about you anymore?" **_her inner asked in mild shock.

"_And if I did?" _Sakura asked as she began to go down another flight. Her tone stated that she didn't seem to care at all at what she had just done.

"_**Sakura!" **_her inner screamed. _**"That's like breaking up a friendship! You basically just told Ino to stop being your friend!" **_she stated.

"_I don't care," _Sakura said. She reached the last flight and quickly went down it. _"Ino needs to learn that everything she does has consequences. And breaking a promise, which __she__ made, has a huge consequence. And this is it," _she started to walk through the lobby and headed towards the door that led to the Parking Lot.

"_**You don't mean that," **_her inner started softly. _**"It's just your anger talking. You're not thinking rational-"**_

"_I'm fine okay!"_ she quickly cut off her inner's voice. She didn't want to hear something that wasn't true at all (in her opinion). _"I'm thinking perfectly fine. I'm not angry at all. Now shut up and leave me alone. I'm not feeling up to this pathetic discussion right now," _she said.

"_**You've never talked to me like that before," **_her inner said. After that, Sakura didn't hear a single word out of her inner. So she quickly made her way to her car and took out the keys. That hot bath sounded like heaven on Earth right now.

* * *

.

* * *

"Yamanaka," Mr. Suzuki said as he noticed that Ino had finally entered the room. "It's a good thing you arrived; I was beginning to pack up and leave," he stated. He zipped up his backpack that had everything that he's have to take home today.

"Sorry I'm late, Mr. Suzuki," Ino said with very little enthusiasm. She was currently bumming over what Sakura had said to her in the halls. It was really hitting her hard.

"Is there something wrong?" Mr. Suzuki asked as he noticed the forlorn expression that one of his usually cheerful students wore (and yes he has noticed this about her). It really confused him as to what could've possibly gotten her like this. But, knowing that he shouldn't cross the boundary between student and teacher, he decided that he wouldn't get too into it.

"No, I was just… thinking," Ino said sadly. She reached his desk and looked at him. "So, what did you want to see me for?" she asked. Her previous thoughts of him possibly liking her were out of her head. It was now filled with Sakura's angry words.

"Well," Mr. Suzuki started. He grabbed the face-down paper that he had on his desk and showed it to her. It was the quiz that she had taken that day and showed a perfect score. "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind tutoring a few of the struggling students," he stated.

Ino's eyes widened at this. She gently grabbed the test from his hand and looked over everything. She had gotten a perfect score on it. And to think that she was so worried about whether she even managed to pass it. She suddenly gasped as she finally processed what he told her.

"Y-you want me to tutor students?" she asked as she looked up at him. She really wasn't expecting him to say that.

"Well, you are one of my brightest students, and I don't want the ones struggling to fail the class," he stated. "It would be unfair for them to flunk and have to repeat it when I know that there's a way to help them. Of course, it's only if you'd like –I'm not pressuring you to do it. It's fully our choice," he said.

Ino remained silent. She was being asked to _tutor_ someone. And, she had just been called a _bright_ student. Those words were so foreign to her that she still couldn't believe it. Before, she was just a _passable_ student and was _offered_ tutoring. Not the other way around. Although, it feels slightly good to know that those words were no longer being applied to her.

She continued staring at the test while at the same time thinking over his offer. _"This is so strange," _she thought. _"I've only __dreamed__ about this day and now… it's come true!" _she exclaimed. Yes, she has dreamed about the day where she would be the one helping and not needing help.

"So what do you think," Mr. Suzuki said as he snapped the female's attention towards him. "Would you consider it?" he asked.

"O-of course I'd do it," Ino stuttered out. "But wait, when exactly would I be doing it?" she asked. She wasn't about to pass this huge offer to show everyone that attended the college who went to High School with her that she wasn't as dumb as she sometimes acted. She hoped that a few of the kids she'd be tutoring would be one of them.

"Last hour," he stated. "Instead of taking the class you normally would, you'll head over to the Library to tutor. You'll get the same amount of credits and would only have to do it Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays," he said.

"Then count me in," Ino said as the bright smile finally reached her face again. "I'd be happy to help with my intellectual skills," she said. _"Omg I sound so smart!" _

"Thank you Yamanaka," Mr. Suzuki said as he gave her a smile. "I'll be sure to count this as extra credit for your next text. Although, I don't think you'll need it," he stated. Ino truly was the brightest student in his class. She was currently the only one who's been getting perfect scores on everything he's handed out and capable of answering all questions.

Ino blushed at this. It felt good to be smart. "Thanks Mr. Suzuki," she said. "And throw those extra points in. I've always wondered how it'd feel to get an _A+_," she said with a huge smile on her face.

Mr. Suzuki chuckled, believing that it was a joke (it wasn't). "I'll do that then," he stated. He grabbed his backpack and took the test away from her. He noticed the shocked expression on her face. "I still have to put it into the system. Have a nice day Yamanaka," he stated. He flashed her a smile and then began to walk out of the room.

"You too Mr. Suzuki!" Ino shouted. Her voice echoed in the class and she stared at her retreating professor's back before the butterflies in her stomach finally exploded into pure joy. With new-found energy, she began to run out of the classroom and into the hallways.

"_Just wait until Sakura hears!" _she thought. Her movements began to slow as her face an attitude faltered. The events that had recently took place flashed in her mind and her blue eyes grew hard as anger consumed her. _"She doesn't need to know. She won't care," _she thought. So with her head held high, she began to head to the main exit of the college and decided to walk back to the dorm.

It wasn't like she had a choice either. She was pretty sure that Sakura had left with the car minutes ago. Besides, a nice walk was exactly what she needed in order to clear her head. Plus she needed to be calm before she faced _her_ again.

Besides, who said that she had to tell Sakura anyways? She could always tell one of the girls. I mean, it wasn't like they told her that she was being stupid because she cared. That didn't happen with them. It only happened with Sakura. And frankly, Ino found it kinda ridiculous. She was only trying to help Sakura. But no! Sakura apparently wants to deal with this by herself and that's exactly what's gonna happen.

Sometimes being roommates sucked.

"_She can date her Atsushi and then, when he breaks her heart, I won't help at all!" _she screamed in her mind. She held a determined look on her face that was quickly wiped away when she saw who was walking down the halls.

"_Oh no Shikamaru!" _she thought as she looked at his new image; which still _really _pissed her off because he decided to do that for Kameko and not her. But, remembering that she had enough problems already, she kept her head high and continued to walk through the halls like no one was even there. But it was a little hard ignoring your ex-boyfriend when he looked absolutely adorable and all professional and junk.

"Ino," Shikamaru said as he stopped in front of the only blonde he truly, truly wanted. He took notice of the way her face was stoic and her eyes hard. He'd never seen her look like that before.

"Shikamaru," Ino acknowledged. She tried to walk past him but he grabbed her arm. Her eyes clashed with his as she looked at the look on his face. "Please let me go," she stated. She was going to be hard and get out of this without feeling like a bitch or wishing that they were together again; which, sadly, she had been doing ever since he kissed her on that cold night.

"Hold on," Shikamaru said. He wasn't about to let her go. He liked finally having skin-to-skin contact with her. He missed being able to touch her and hold and just… be with her.

Ino rolled her eyes. "What do you want Shikamaru?" she asked. She had a hint of annoyance in her voice that she didn't bother to hide.

"I wanted to know why you've been acting so strange," he said. He saw her eyes widen.

"Y-you… noticed?" she asked. She hadn't even thought that he'd care. Hell, he wasn't even in her thoughts when she started to do that. All she was thinking about was how Sakura needed relationship help and that the only way to do that was by pretending that she was the one who needed relationship help.

"It was a little hard not to," he said with the same expression on his face. "I'm pretty certain that anyone who's known you or at least seen you every day for a week would notice," and it was true. Ino was so open with her personality that if she began to act different, everyone would catch on immediately.

"Hmph," Ino said. Inside, she was a little, tiny bit happy that he had noticed. But that was the Ino who still loved Shikamaru. And she was trying very hard to bury that Ino. "It's nothing. Now, please let go of me," she said. His touch was beginning to bother her. Hell, his _entire presence_ was beginning to bother her!

"Ino, I know you better than that," he said in his usual voice. "And I know for a fact that something with you is never nothing," he saw her narrow her eyes a little and then shrug out of his grip.

"Yeah, well, just like you, I've changed Shikamaru," she stated. She smoothed out her sweater as she fixed the wrinkles and creases that he had just created. "You think that you still know me, but you don't. In fact, I think the only people who know _me_, are the girls –and last time I checked, you weren't one," she stated. She fixed the cuffs of her sweater and then fixed her bang.

"I have somewhere to be, goodbye," she said. She turned around and her ponytail created a rush of wind. It gave off the scent of her honey shampoo and left just like she did.

Shikamaru stood there watching as she left. He had a feeling that she was actually… correct. It was obvious that everything about Ino had changed over the summer. Her looks changed, her style changed, her personality changed… just… _everything changed_! She wasn't the same Ino that he had grown accustomed to, and now that he finally did that, he came to a realization.

"_She's changed," _he stated. _"She isn't the same anymore. Meaning, that she doesn't get jealous as easily as I thought. I've been going about this all wrong," _he had thought that she was still the Ino that got jealous easily. When in reality, she had become an Ino that really couldn't care much about who he dated.

So, long story short…

"_She couldn't care less if I dated Kameko!"_

…He was suffering for no reason.

"_Dammit," _he thought. _"I need a new strategy. But first, I have to break up with Kameko," _now that he was certain that Ino's strange behavior wasn't jealousy, but just her acting like a new part of her personality, he had the full freedom to break up with the blonde that was tormenting his nightmares.

And get back the one who held him prisoner in his dreams.

* * *

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* * *

"_Why is life so unfair?" _she continued to flip through the multiple pages of her notebook. With each page that was turned, she was met with huge disappointment as she noticed that she couldn't understand _any_ of it. Not a single one. _"Someone up there hates me, I'm sure of it," _she decided to blame all of her bad luck on the creator of the world. Something she was totally against doing but… she was just so stressed!

Sighing, she gave up her flipping as she began to go into bare pages of the notebook that have yet to be written on. She laid her head down on the comforter of her bed and felt a nudge against her arm. She raised it as she automatically placed it on the furry body there.

"Don't worry girl," she murmured as she turned her head to the side to look at her pet. "I'll be fine; I'm sure I'll figure something out," she said with a soft smile on her face. _"I hope. The last person to help me out when I was last feeling like this was-"_ she stopped her thoughts. Despite the fact that they were now on neutral territory, she wasn't really feeling up to go see him.

And there were so many reasons why.

Number one- it would look suspicious if she showed up at his dorm to see him.

Number two- how was she going to spend time in his dorm, if her boyfriend was there –who she really didn't want to see until her mind was all clear.

Number three- knowing him, he'd take it to his advantage and he'd try to seduce her (which might actually work).

Number four- she just can't!

And the list goes on.

But the point was, she couldn't go over there to see _him_. It would look weird. Especially if Miomi was there. I mean, wouldn't you find it weird if the person you were in a relationship with showed up at your house to see your older sibling and not you (not that Hitomi and Miomi are related, but you get the point)?

Yeah… thought so.

She sighed as she turned over on the bed so that her back was against it. Yuksi, being as loveable as always, climbed onto her stomach and settled herself into a little ball as she cuddled up to her master. Yayuki smiled as she reached a hand over to stroke the adorable pup's fur.

"Thanks girl," Yayuki said as she suddenly felt a little calmer at the pup's expression. She continued to stroke the fur as she looked up at the light blue ceiling of the bedroom. She continued to stare at the paint until someone entering the room made her snap her attention to the door.

"Hey Minamo," she said as she looked at her roommate. Minamo looked at the sad female lying on the bed and her face contorted into one of curiosity.

"Yayuki," she said. "You seem sad. What happened this time?" she asked. Yes, she and Yayuki could be called friends now. I mean, Miomi _was_ dating her and she swore never to hate one of her brother's girlfriends. But even so, she had grown to like the girl a little. Especially now that she had a chance to see what she was truly like.

"Oh the usual," Yayuki responded as she turned over on her stomach. Luckily, Yuksi had turned with her master and now lay on her back.

"Mrs. Nakayama gave you more homework?" Minamo asked. She knew that the only time Yayuki got like this was when she looked at the mountains of Physiology homework that she would have to do. It was no wonder the girl was an insomniac. She was up late trying to finish all the work.

"Yeah, but I'm used to it now," Yayuki responded. She's been in the woman's class for almost two months now. She was getting pretty good at solving all the questions. "My new issue has to do with Biology," she stated.

"What's wrong with Biology?" Minamo asked. She began to remove her backpack and her coat. She placed the materials on her bed and took a seat.

"I don't have the notes for today," Yayuki stated.

"I see," Minamo said. "But lucky you, I do," she stated with a smirk on her face. Yayuki shot up on the bed and looked at her with wide, purple eyes.

"Seriously?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Minamo said. "If you want, I could let you-"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Yayuki leaped off the bed. Yuksi landed on the comforter and shook her fur before going to where the pillows were and making herself comfortable there. Meanwhile, her master was currently at the side of Minamo's bed. "Seriously Minamo, you're… thanks," Yayuki said.

"No problem," Minamo said. She reached for her backpack and began to search for her Biology notebook. "Just give it back after you have the notes written," she stated.

"Well duh, I mean, we share the same dorm –it'll be kinda hard _not_ to," Yayuki said as she grabbed the black and red notebook. Minamo gave her a slight glare and she just shot her a smile. "But thanks though. You're really saving my ass here," she stated.

"No problem," Minamo said. Yayuki went back to her desk and started to get ready to copy the notes. Minamo unlaced her boots and took them off. She secretly liked being on friendly terms with the girls. It was more peaceful and everyone seemed happier. She should've done this in High School.

* * *

He sighed as he noticed the time. He had been there for the past hour –hoping that she'd come. But it didn't seem like she'd be arriving any time soon. He felt foolish. How could he believe that she'd actually come? He had asked her to meet him there at 6pm… it was 7pm now and it didn't take a genius to realize what that meant.

Sighing, she stood from the chair and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Honestly, he knew that Tenten was a cruel chick and all but how could she just stand him up like that? She should've just replied and told him that she wasn't going to come. Not make him wait at the café for an hour, looking like an idiot as he waited for his ex-girlfriend.

To be honest, he thought that she'd accept. He knew –he _sensed_ that she still had her old feelings for him. The last time they kissed, she hadn't pulled back until the very end. And in the few seconds that it lasted, it was like he had the old Tenten back again. The Tenten that, while punched him once in a while, would do anything for him and shared fun times with. The Tenten that did nearly everything or anything to get the two of them alone just so that he could show the tiniest hint of his true feelings for her.

The Tenten he had fallen in love with.

And then, the new Tenten that wanted absolutely nothing to do with him showed up the second Shikamaru and Kameko walked through that door. She slapped him, cursed at him, and left with such an angry look on her face that you'd think somebody tried to murder her or something and not just kiss her.

And while, yes, he kinda liked that Tenten too (because she looks hot when she was angry), he had to admit that she was a little bit annoying. I mean… does she always have to slap him! Can't she just yell at him or something? Is slapping really necessary?

He sighed as he pulled out his cell phone and checked if he had any new messages that missed. Sadly, there were none. No new message that he could've accidently missed while being slightly depressed about her not being there. He sighed out heavily as he closed the phone and placed it back inside his jean pocket. There was really no use checking on her now. He was out of patience and boiling with anger that'll only grow as he makes his way back to the dorm.

Letting out a grunt, he turned and began to head over to the door. As he opened the door, he came face-to-face with the very person he was waiting for…

"Neji," she said as she looked at his usual stoic expression. But hey, she didn't spend years hating him and months dating him and not come out of it with nothing. Nope. She learned how to read his expression and right now she could tell that he was very, very mad.

"Who's the dude?" the male next to her asked.

…Only with another guy.

"Now you show up," he stated. He walked out of the place and began to head back to his dorm; moving in between the couple as he did so. He had spent enough time waiting for her. And now she arrives but with another guy right next to her and a smile on her face. It seemed like she had forgotten about the fact that she was supposed to be there at 6pm,_ alone_.

"Neji hold on!" Tenten shouted as she went after him. She was overwhelmed with a feeling of guilt. So, forgetting about the fact that she was supposed to be with another guy, she quickly caught up to the Hyuuga but was having a slightly rough time keeping up the pace because he was much taller than her and his long strides were forcing her to mildly jog.

"Forget it Tenten, I understand now," Neji stated as he continued to try and get away from her. He got it now. She was completely over him and just to show it, decided to show up at the café with some dude that was probably older than him. He understood. And he won't forget it.

"No you don't," she said with a tint of annoyance in her voice. "Just… let me explain," she stated. She grabbed onto the arm of his jacket and he quickly shrugged it off. She glared as she reached out for him again and was met with a slap to the hand. Her eyes widened in shock as she looked at him.

"Don't touch me," he snarled. There was a vicious look in her eyes that she was kinda afraid of at the moment. She retracted her hand and ran her free one over it. It stung a little.

"What the hell…" she started. "Why'd you slap me?" she asked. She had just tried to get his attention. He shouldn't have slapped her hand. I mean, seriously, she was trying to clear up an obvious misunderstanding and he was being a real asshole right now by slapping her hand.

"Now you know how I felt," he stated. Deciding not to waste his time with this girl anymore, he turned back around and continued to walk back to his dorm. He needed to calm down before he lashed out at her. But at least now he knew that he shouldn't fight for her anymore. It was clearly obvious now that that had, in fact, no future.

Tenten stared at his retreating back. His hands were dug in his pockets and his strides were becoming longer and a dangerous aura leaked from him. Her eyes saddened as she looked at this. The last time he was like that was when they-

"Hey Tenten, you alright?" Yuu, the guy she had been with, asked as he caught up to the girl. She turned her head towards him with a slightly guilty look in her eyes. "Hey, why so sad?" he asked. He had no clue as to why Tenten's behavior changed. But what he did know, was that it took a turn for the worse the second she saw that guy.

"Yuu," she said as pulled her hands away from one another and began to fix her hair a little. She then placed her hands in her pockets as she looked at the pretty, blonde boy. "It… it's nothing really, just… a demon from my past," she stated.

"Ex-boyfriend huh?" he said. He saw how she stiffened her head and looked down a little. Oh yeah, he was correct. "Hey, that's no big deal Tenten; you probably didn't even know that he went here in the first place," the male stated.

"_You don't know how __wrong__ you are," _Tenten thought in her mind. She sucked on her lip piercing (something she never told the girls of), out of nervousness and gave Yuu a fake smile. "You're right," she stated. "I was overreacting over seeing him I mean… I was in shock you know –sorry I ran off," she stated.

"Ah, it's okay," Yuu stated. "I probably would've done the same if I saw one of my ex-girlfriends," he stated. He ran a hand on the side of his hair and then placed it down. "So we going in or not?" he asked as he used a thumb to point behind him (where he hoped the café was).

"Yeah," she stated with a smile on her face. "I'd love to go shoe shopping," she said. She watched as his eyes widened and he quickly looked behind him. When he turned around, she placed a hand on her mouth to stifle her giggles.

"Not funny Tenten," he said as he shot her a glare. She continued to laugh. "I'm serious! You nearly scared the shit out of me. God I hate shoe-shopping," he stated. He had so many awful shoe-shopping memories that they actually turned him into what he was.

"Oh come on, it's not that bad," Tenten said as she composed herself and began to walk towards the café (which he did point to). He fell into step next to her as they walked down the small flight of stairs Tenten had ascended in her attempt to catch Neji and explain everything to him.

"Easy for you to say," Yuu stated as he gave her a playful glare. "You're a chick –you're the one _buying_ the shoes. I'm a dude –I'm the one _carrying_ the shoes. And damn those things can get heavy," he stated. Tenten rolled her brown eyes.

"Oh shut up," she stated. "You can't complain about carrying a couple shoe boxes –it's not that bad," she said.

"Yes it is. Those things are hard to hold and then when you try to keep them straight, they always fall. One time I actually got a fucking scar off of carrying ten of those things," he stated.

"Pfft, that's easy," Tenten said.

"No it ain't!" Yuu exclaimed. They reached the café door and he held it open for Tenten to go inside. Once they were both in, they began to head to a booth that was the only empty one there (the one Neji recently occupied).

"Yes it is!" Tenten told him. "And trust me, you'll be _begging_ to just carry ten boxes after going shoe-shopping with Ino," she momentarily paused to shudder. "That chick doesn't know when to stop," she said.

Yuu let out a brief laugh. "Ino… she's the blonde one right?" he asked as they took a seat. He was on one side and her on the other. Tenten nodded her head.

"Yeah, that's_ her_," she stated with a small hint of annoyance in her voice. He chuckled at this. "She's a shop-a-holic, and would _live_ at the mall if she could," she sighed as she rested her head and on her hand and used her elbow to support it. "But she's mellowed down now –_thank god_," she said.

"Well, to know that for sure, I'd have to spend a day shopping with her," Yuu stated. Tenten looked at him like he had just grown a second head.

"You're going to regret saying that," Tenten said to him. He nodded his head.

"And what if I won't?" he asked. There was a glint in his steel grey eyes that Tenten easily caught and became aware of. They may have only known each other for a short time, but she already knew him so, so well.

"Why Yuu, are you suggesting that we have a bet?" she asked as if it were all a huge surprise to her.

"No, but if you're ready, I'm willing," he stated with a smirk. She felt her body react to the smirk and she looked away to hide the blush. The guy was just so gorgeous. She quickly closed her eyes as she began to calm herself down. Once she was sure the blush was gone, she looked at him. "Why'd you turn away?" he asked. "I can't be that ugly, can I?" he asked.

She smirked. "Maybe you are, maybe you're not. That depends on how many mirrors you've broken," she stated with a smug expression on her face.

"None by my face, plenty by my hands," he stated. Tenten rolled her eyes. He was such a freaking bad boy. But then again, what girl _didn't_ want a bad boy? And even the ones who say they don't, do (they just don't know it yet).

"Whatever," she stated. "So, back to the conversation –I bet you…" she momentarily paused as she began to think of things that he could possibly have that she wanted. There were so many things, but she needed something really, really good. And then she thought of it. "Do you have a motorcycle?" she asked him.

He smirked. "Yeah, why?" he asked.

"Then that's what I want," she stated.

"You can't have my motorcycle," he stated with a bit of a warning tone in his voice. That motorcycle was his favorite thing in the world –okay, second favorite. But the point is, he wasn't about to give it away over some stupid bet.

"No, you idiot," she started. "I don't mean permanently have it, but more like… borrowing it for a weekend," she stated.

"Explain," he stated.

"Well… if I win the bet –which means you spend an entire day shoe-shopping with Ino-, I get to take your motorcycle away from you for a weekend in Spring –it's getting too cold now. But if you win…" she trailed off to let him finish.

"I get to have you to myself for a day," he stated. She blushed at his comment. She really hadn't expected that to be said. "Is it a bet?" he asked.

She hesitated as she looked at his outstretched hand. What could he possibly mean by he gets to have her for a day? It could mean so many things but… she decided to think positive. She grabbed his hand and felt her skin tingle.

"It's a bet," she stated.

* * *

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* * *

"_I'm sorry," _she said.

No response.

"_I'm sorry, I swear!" _she screamed.

Nothing.

She sighed.

"_Would you please talk to me?" _she asked.

"_**I thought you didn't want to take part in another one of my pathetic discussions?" **_her inner asked as she heard the constant begging and apologizing.

"_I didn't mean it," _Sakura thought as she felt a little bit guilty for how she yelled to her inner before. _"I was angry from what Ino did and not thinking straight –just like you said," _she stated.

"_**That's still no excuse," **_her inner responded. _**"You really hurt me Sakura –and to top it all off, you practically just ruined your friendship with Ino," **_her inner stated. Because she was like a little person living in Sakura's head, she had grown attached to the blonde girl and didn't like the idea of Sakura and her not being friends anymore.

"_I know," _Sakura thought sadly. _"And I feel bad about it… which is why I need your advice –god I'd never thought I ever think that," _she added.

"_**You need my advice," **_her inner stated as she chose to ignore Sakura's last comment. _**"About what?" **_it asked.

"_How to patch up my friendship with Ino," _she stated. _"I feel so incredibly bad about it… I just want thing to be okay between us again. She's been my best friend on and off since we were little-"_

"_**Which stopped during Middle School where she became your permanent best friend," **_her inner stated as she cut Sakura's thought off.

"_Right," _Sakura thought as she agreed with the statement. _"And I don't want that to happen again. I just want Ino as my permanent best friend for life… and I need your help to think of ways to get her back," _she really felt bad about what she did to Ino. She was acting so childish again and was ashamed of herself.

"_**Well," **_her inner started. _**"I **__**could**__** help you, but I'm still angry about what you said earlier and how you spoke to me," **_it stated.

"_Oh come on!" _Sakura screamed in her mind. _"I said I was sorry already! Why can't you just put your pride aside and accept it?" _she exclaimed.

"_**Because I'm you!" **_her inner screamed back. _**"That's it! It's obvious that you never felt bad! You just wanted to clear things up with me! Well forget it! I'm leaving," **_her inner said.

"_You're a part of me! You can't leave!"_ Sakura screamed out in frustration. Her nose scrunched up as she began to glare up at the bottom of Ino's bed. She was currently laid down on her own.

"_**Well then I'm no longer talking to you! Good luck figuring things out by yourself Sa-ku-ra!" **_her conscious completely shut off on her.

"_No wait! I'm sorry!" _Sakura screamed in her mind. _"Conscious… conscious… please come back! I need your help in this!" _she couldn't believe it. The one time she actually _needed_ her conscious and _wanted_ her stupid advice, and she completely flakes out on her. Just. Her. Luck.

She groaned as she grabbed her pillow and placed it over her face. She screamed into it as her frustration finally took over her. Why was it that nothing was going right for her? First Atsushi, then Ino and now her own conscious! Couldn't one thing actually be what she wanted for once?

She groaned as she moved the pillow away from her face and pressed it against her chest. College wasn't what she had planned it to be.

She had expected it to be a lot more… adventurous than this. But then again, she was a High School sophomore when she thought about this. It was around the time that kids began to tease her about everything and she began to wish that the years would fly by faster so that she could go to college and escape the reoccurring days of torment.

She had never thought that the days of torment would follow her but just make itself known in new ways. Seriously. She had thought that once she got into the dorm room and met who she'd share a room with, she'd become the best of friends with them and she'd fly by college with perfect grades and everything.

One half of that silly fantasy had almost been completed. If she had become the best of friends with Karin, then she'd be halfway there because she was already best friends with Ino. And now, none of that fantasy is complete because she and Ino can't even be called friends anymore. She had basically broken off their friendship today due to the fact that she was blinded by her anger.

"_Just like at the hospital," _she thought. She had snapped at Ino last Sunday about defending Sasuke. Which, now that she was calm enough to think, she realized wasn't true.

Ino hadn't been defending Sasuke, she was simply stating the obvious –and she had even said that. But she had just been so angry and all she saw was red that she had been dumb enough to believe that one of her long-time best friend was actually defending the guy that had hurt her boyfriend.

"_If I can even call him that," _she thought. It had taken a while to realize, but she finally came to the conclusion that she and Atsushi had finally hit that rough patch in their relationship that every couple goes through.

That rough patch always tested just how strong the relationship was and if it was built on true feelings or not. That rough patch could either make their relationship stronger or completely break it. And at the moment, she was beginning to think that it was about to break. I mean, he was acting so strange and disgusting that it was beginning to get on her nerves. And since their _date_ on Sunday, she hasn't even seen him around campus or anything. It was like he had disappeared off the face of the Earth.

She sighed as she turned around on her stomach and placed the pillow over her head. Maybe if she thought long and hard enough, all her problems would disappear?

There would be no Sasuke.

No feud with Ino.

No strange behavior from Atsushi.

And her conscious would talk to her (again, she was a little freaked out that she _actually_ wanted that).

Everything would just... _poof _and go away for good.

She wanted that so badly.

"_**You know that's wishful thinking… right?" **_Sakura couldn't help but smile into the pillow that she currently had her face buried in.

"_You're talking to me again?" _she thought.

Her conscious sighed. _**"Well someone has to. Otherwise, I'm afraid you might do something stupid and… commit suicide or something," **_it said.

Sakura's smile grew bigger in the pillow. _"But that's what you're here for right? To keep me from doing stupid things?" _she asked.

"_**Yeah… and I always will," **_it said. Sakura could hear the smile in her conscious's imaginary voice.

"_Thank you…" _she thought.

"_**No need to thank me… it's what I do," **_her conscious responded.

Sakura sighed happily.

At least one of her problems managed to _poof _away.

"_See, you were wrong. It wasn't wishful thinking after all," _Sakura thought as she realized just what had happened. In her head, her conscious groaned and Sakura had a feeling that if she were talking to a real person, that they'd be rolling their eyes right now.

"_**Shut up!"**_

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Yay! End of chapter! I hope that you guys enjoyed it and that it was worth the long wait. As I was writing this, I came up with a huge twist that will be revealed in a later chapter that will just shock you all. So, what do you think? Yeah, I brought back Sakura's inner. I kinda had to because Sakura needed someone to talk to and to annoy her so there would be a little bit of humor in this thing just to give you all a small break from all the drama! And who better to help do that than Sakura's crazy inner self? No one! Hence why I brought her back. And please, please, _please_ review! I never go against my word, and as much as I'd like to, I can't post up the first chapter of **The Office **(what I'm calling it) without the fifty reviews in this story! So please, six of you, review! And if you want, feel free to go over the limit –I really wouldn't mind. But anyways, I hope you liked and please review (this is the last time I'll say this, I swear). Until next chapter!

Xoxoxo Chibi Star Vamp


	10. Atsushi's Surprise

Hi people. Look, I know that it's been well over three months since I've updated this story, but I got so sidetracked with school. And yes, I've provided the same excuse for everything else, but it's true. Anyways, welcome to the tenth chapter. To be honest, I think it might've been up to like… fifteen or something, but once again, sidetracked. And yeah, I skipped updating **Kiss of Death** because I'm totally stuck on it and have major writer's block. So if you have any ideas, please don't hesitate to tell me. I hope you like the chapter and I also hope that it makes up for the long wait.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original _Naruto_ characters. I only own my own, the plot, as well as the story that led to this, and the soon-to-be revised edition of it that will probably come out sometime during the winter.

Reviews

bella- it's okay. Without the flames, I never would've been pushed to write even better. Thanks for calling it that, but honestly, I've read so many that have like… over two thousand reviews in like… twenty chapters or something. I'm kinda pushing towards that. Also, as for the email address, I can't read it. Just… PM me or something, okay? Thanks again.

kitten- thanks. I'm glad you got your sister to review, and I had no clue you two were related. Here's chapter ten. Sorry for the long wait.

xWhite Fang Wolf Godx- thanks girl, I'm glad you liked it. And yep, more and more drama, as well as the return of Sakura's inner—this is gonna be awesome to continue writing. Too bad I couldn't update sooner though. High school takes too much time and energy. But whatever, I'll try my best to get my homework done early and have enough time to write. I promise.

Sasukeuchiha101- sorry for kinda… crushing your dream of me updating faster. But I swear to god that I will this time! Oh wow, you have so much to say. I'm so happy I was wrong about you not liking it; and as for the Sakura and Atsushi drama…. Gosh… So much is about to happen! I'm afraid I can't reply to anything else you've said because I might give something away. But anyway, enjoy the chapter!

justen rules- I know, I love inner Sakura too (I almost wrote _Sasura_, lol ^^). And as for your question… in the future (evil, right?).

Jamie- aw! You have it bookmarked? That's so sweet! Thanks. I didn't want them to have the same love life because then it would be so completely boring and… icky. And I hate stuff that's like that. Thanks for the compliment, and again, sorry I couldn't update sooner.

Enjoy!

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One month later

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"Ino! Turn it down!" Sakura shouted. She currently had her hands over her ears, as she tried to block out the loud music of the new band that Ino was suddenly into. She completely forgot what the band was called, but it didn't seem like the type of band that Ino would've been into, back in the day.

Ino, not able to hear Sakura _at all_, just continued dancing to the band. She wasn't experienced with this music genre at all, so she was just moving her hips from side to side, with her head going in the opposite direction, swaying.

Sakura groaned as she noticed how Ino _turned the music up_; doing the complete opposite of what she asked.

"_Is she _trying_ to get me to murder her or something?"_ Sakura thought. She sent a death glare to Ino as the song hit the chorus and she became even louder by singing along to it.

"_**I don't know. Maybe she is."**_ Her inner said. _**"But it would make sense though—you know, the reason she's ignoring you and suddenly into Grunge."**_

"_How would it make sense?"_ Sakura asked.

"_**She's getting back at you Sakura. For the fight you two had a month ago. She's still not over it."**_

At this, Sakura growled. Honestly, she and Ino had that fight a hell of a long time ago, and the female was still irking her. I mean, first is was the way Ino completely ignored her. Then Ino began to do things that seriously irked her, like using too much time in the bathroom and making her late for class, and even shrink-drying her clothes.

And now it was this.

Honestly, what the hell was this chick's problem.

"Ino!" She shouted again. "Turn! It! Down!" she tried to get through the blonde. But Ino just turned it up even louder.

"_If all the glass in the room breaks, she's replacing it all."_ Sakura thought. Finally, she gave up trying to get the music to be turned down by Ino, and stood from the bed.

"_**What are you doing?"**_

"_Getting some study time."_

Sakura went over to where the CD player was plugged in, and then yanked the cord. The music immediately stopped, but Ino was still in her own little world, and she kept singing along to the part that she knew was next.

"_My favorite inside source__. __I'll kiss your open sores__. __I appreciate your concern.__You're gonna stink and burn_." She was waiting for the music to change when she realized something.

No music.

Opening her blue eyes, she looked at her CD player and at the figure standing before her, twirling the cord in her left hand while her right was on her hip. She instantly narrowed her eyes as she locked blue with green.

"What the _hell _Haruno!" she shouted as she went over to Sakura and snatched the cord out of her hand.

"I could ask you the _same thing_," Sakura said as she crossed her arms over her chest and began to have a glare-down with Ino.

"_**Sakura be careful. Remember, you want Ino to forgive you."**_

"_I know. But I'm not about to fail my next test just because she wants to listen to some stupid band."_

"What's your problem?" Ino asked as she went back to plug it in. Sakura saw this and immediately blocked the plugs with her body. Ino growled at her. She wanted to listen to her music. Why the hell was Sakura, of all people, stopping her?

"Move out of the way." Ino said.

"Not happening." Sakura replied.

"Move!" Ino yelled.

"Listen to your stupid music using headphones or something. They're other people in this room besides you Ino." Sakura said. She really needed to study for her Biology Exam coming up in a week. Plus, there were all the other midterms that she had to study for, as well.

"Stupid…" Ino repeated. "For your information, _Nirvana_ is _not_ a stupid band! They're like… the _best Grunge band there is_!" Ino said as she defended her new favorite idols.

She had never even heard about them until about two weeks ago. She was still fuming over the way Sakura was treating her, and needed a way to let go of her emotions without snapping at the pinkette every minute. So she went to ask help from all of her friends, and her music-loving friend, Yayuki, suggested that she listen to angry music similar to her feelings.

She thought that it wouldn't work at all. But after learning that Tenten was also dealing with the same type of anger, and was doing the same thing Yayuki suggested and was actually working for her, the rainbow girl let Ino borrow her iPod that had an entire category for each music genre there was.

She suggested _Grunge_ because it was the angriest and most bizarre. It was really the only one that Ino might get into.

So Ino tried.

She listened to the first song by _Smashing Pumpkins_, and found it a little disgusting. Then she listened to the second one by _Temple Of The Dog_, and surprisingly found it even better. By the time she reached down to _Nirvana_, Ino had fallen in love with the music and realized that she felt so much better.

It was like the songs knew her emotions and were personally speaking out to her.

Since then, she's bought about five t-shirts with her new favorite _Grunge_ band names and logos on them, as well as gotten a couple of CDs and downloaded some albums off of iTunes. She was seriously loving this music genre.

And now Sakura, the very thing she was trying to forget about, was ruining her way of feeling better. She _hated_ that.

"_Nirvana_?" Sakura asked. That had to be one of the weirdest names that she's ever heard. "That's such a retarded name." she said. Hey, it was her opinion, but Ino took it personal.

She cursed.

"Fuck you Haruno!" Ino yelled. Then she let go of the cord, got the CD out of the CD player, and went over to her bed as she grabbed hold of her black bag and left the room. She was gonna go listen to this new CD with someone who _she knew_ would appreciate it.

Sakura was completely stunned. As Ino closed the door loudly, she registered the fact that Ino had seriously just cursed her out. She sounded angry, pissed and annoyed and… like they actually weren't friends anymore.

She had honestly tried in the past month to connect with Ino once again, and fix this broken bridge between the two. But just as she felt that she was starting to rebuild it. Like the structure and frames of it were finally set, the two got into a large fight and Ino smashed down the bridge.

And Sakura was left to try and pick up the broken structure. Which was becoming harder and harder to do by the day.

She sighed as she went back to her bed, where her Biology textbook and notes lay, as well as a few PowerPoint slides that she would have to have memorized, in order to even have the possibility of passing her Biology midterm.

"_Maybe I should just give up?"_ she thought as she looked down at the new slide that had to do with Throat Cancer. The pictures were disgusting and gruesome, but she found herself very interested in them, and Biology was slowly becoming her all-time favorite class.

"_**No! Don't think like that! Sure it looks impossible but… Are you **_**actually**_** about to give up on Ino? The same Ino who's saved your ass more times than you can count?"**_

"_No. I'm giving up on the new, _Grunge_-loving Ino who curses at me and hates my guts."_ Sakura said.

She examined the pictures that came with the slides for a moment, and read their description. She then grabbed her bright pink highlighter, and began to highlight the symptoms, just in case they would come up on the test or something.

"_**But you know that's the same Ino as before. She just likes a new type of music. I mean, she's changing Sakura. It was **_**bound**_** to happen at some point."**_

"_But not like _this_!"_ Sakura protested. _"She's not supposed to become… a _punk_! She's supposed to become more serious and stay my best friend! Not want to impale my head or something."_

"_Now shut up already. I need to study otherwise I'm gonna get kicked out of the college."_ She thought. There was an angry look on her face, and she waited for a possible response from her inner.

Nothing.

She sighed as she calmed down a little and then went back to looking over new diseases and illnesses. They were all grotesque. But she found it more interesting than nasty.

* * *

"Teme!"

"Shut it Naruto," Sasuke said as he didn't even give Naruto a chance to state whatever it was that he had to say. Sasuke had a ten thousand word report due tomorrow and he was only up to six thousand and running out of things to write and explain. Fuck history.

"But teme, this is important," Naruto said as he went over to where Sasuke was seated on his bed. Sasuke's shiny black laptop was resting on his crossed legs with the Uchiha fan imprinted on it. It was very high-tech and cost more than Naruto could afford considering how it was personalized and everything.

"I don't give a damn," Sasuke said as his fingers continued to type in words and letters. He only momentarily paused to look over what was left for him to write, and realized that he had to make another three thousand words out of two paragraphs of notes.

"_Dammit,"_ he cursed in his mind. _"How the hell am I supposed to explain what these douches did with their food after they stored them. Talk about them taking a crap?"_ he had a feeling that not only would that be totally inappropriate, but he would also fail the class because this essay was worth half his midterm grade.

"But teme," Naruto said. "Shikamaru wants all of us to go to his cabin. He says that he needs our help about something or whatever." Naruto said.

"Well if it's not specific, then I'm not going at all," Sasuke said. "I have to finish this thing in half an hour and email it to my teacher in time." he had two thousand words left… and was in a slump. Agh! Fuck history!

"Oh come on teme, take a break dammit," Naruto said. "All you ever do nowadays is study, reports, and other shit. What's the matter with you?" Naruto asked.

"Says the one who's too afraid to dump his girlfriend," Sasuke said as he looked up to glare at the annoying blonde.

Naruto wasn't able to say a single thing about Sasuke's new study habits. After all, the idiot still kept going on and on about dumping Etsu, but he doesn't even have the balls to do that. Sasuke never understood why. Etsu wasn't that scary of a chick.

Sure she had crazy eyes and was so controlling of Naruto that he hasn't been able to say a single sentence whenever he was with her, but Naruto needed to put his foot down and break up with her. Then, if Etsu went mad, he should just get a restraining order against her and move on with his life.

It really wasn't that hard.

He basically had to say, _Look Etsu, I know you like me and all, but it's over_. One tiny sentence that might just take five seconds to say, and it would all be over.

And Naruto refused to do so. Sure he claimed that he was going to, that way he could get Hinata back easier, but Sasuke was beginning to wonder if Naruto would ever actually break up with the brown-haired girl. And god forbid he starts growing feelings for her.

Naruto let out an agitated groan. "Look teme," he finally said. "I'm gonna break up with Etsu but—"

"But what?" Sasuke cut in. "Are you too afraid of getting hurt? Well think about this Naruto, how do you think Hinata is feeling whenever she sees the two of you together, and is forced to remember the times that both of you shared?" he was speaking as if he knew Hinata, but he was actually speaking what he felt whenever he saw Sakura and that idiot together.

Yes he was still trying to come up with a way to get close to him, and he's done simple things like speak a sentence to the guy, or work with him on a project, but other than that, he was still basically at square one.

And every time he saw the two of them together, holding hands, and Sakura just looking so incredibly happy—that it was practically killing him inside that that smile she was giving wasn't for him. That happy look in her eyes wasn't for him. She wasn't clutching his arm or whispering things into his ears (he didn't even want to imagine what they were). It was all for that other guy. That idiot skater brat who thought that he was getting off scot-free just because he always had his arm around the waist of a hot girl with pink hair, and no one would mess with him because he could land such a hottie.

Sasuke would chop that arm off if it weren't for the fact that Sakura would hate him even more if he did.

And he didn't like seeing the two together. To be reminded of all those fun times he had with Sakura were so painful, that his heart kept clenching whenever he saw the two kiss… something that he's had to witness twice now.

How disgusting.

He wondered what that guy would do if he realized just who's ex-girlfriend he was kissing. Who's lips were touching his and where they had been about a year ago.

Would he be disgusted?

Would he yell at her?

Would he break up with Sakura?

Would he—

He stopped thinking as the light bulb in his head went off. What _would_ the little idiot's reaction be once he realized just how much history his girlfriend and the guy who had broken his nose, had?

His thoughts were cut off by the ring of Naruto's cell phone. Watching as the blonde looked at the Caller ID, only to frown, Sasuke decided to ignore Naruto and his stupid problems, and just get back to working on his report which was due—in fifteen minutes!

Two thousand words.

Fifteen minutes left.

One thing entered his mind.

"_Fuck History!"_

* * *

.

.

.

* * *

Sakura was happy. Ino had been gone for about three hours now—not that she cared—and the silence allowed her to study. It was now 11pm and she had managed to memorize half of her slides. They were all remarkably interesting, and her love of them got her thinking, _Maybe she should become a doctor_?

It seemed like the perfect profession for her, after all. She always has been into things like medical shows, and diseases. She enjoyed patching up her friends, and once used to play hospital with her teddy bears, pretending to fix their wounds and whatnot.

Her love of the medical arts has been with her throughout her entire life, and now that she was in college, and very close to become a full-grown adult, she needed to think up of a career to get into.

Pediatrician.

Doctor.

Nurse.

Surgeon.

They all sounded like something that she would love to do. But, she wasn't ready to jump into it just yet. She wanted to see if she would still love it in the next few months, that way she would still have enough time to apply to some medical program, and hopefully get accepted.

With this in mind, she began to pack up. Putting the large packet of slides into her folder, Sakura then placed it inside her bag and closed it before setting it down on the floor next to her.

She soon started to move around in her bed, as she tried to find a comfortable spot for herself, and was just about to pull the covers over her body and go to sleep, when her phone began to ring.

"_Who the _hell_ could that be?"_

"_**Maybe it's Ino. Or Hinata. Or Tenten. Or Yayuki. Or your mom. Or your dad. Or Sas—"**_

"_That last one is _definitely_, not it."_ she thought. She then sat up in her bed, a little infuriated with her inner implying that Sasuke, of all people, would be calling her this late at night.

Grabbing hold of her cell phone, she looked at the Caller ID and read the name._ Atsushi_.

"_**I was half-right with the last one. It was definitely one of your ex-boyfriends."**_

"_Atsushi isn't my ex-boyfriend."_

"_**Not yet."**_

Sakura ignored the comment as she accepted the call, and placed the pink phone to her ear. "Hi Atsushi." She said. She tried her best to hide the fact that she was tired.

"**Sakura,"** Atsushi said from the other line. **"Can you do me a favor and—"**

"_**This better be good."**_

"—**Come up to the roof of the conjoined building? I really wanna show you something."**

"_**The roof? Is he insane? I mean, it's probably forty degrees outside at the moment and he wants us to go up there in nothing but our pajamas. Really Sakura, break up with him already. He's selfish."**_

"_Shut up."_ Sakura told her inner. She didn't want to hear her say anything about breaking up with Atsushi. Because she knew that her inner wanted nothing more but to get back with Sasuke. And she was trying very hard to not go back to him and move on with her life.

"I don't know Atsushi," Sakura finally said. "I mean, it's so late and I just finished cramming for Biology."

"**Please Sakura,"** Atsushi said. **"I haven't been able to spend so much time with you, and I want to now. I know that I'm a little late but… it just took a while to set everything up."** he stated. Now she was beginning to get curious. What was he talking about?

"I don't think—"

"_**That's right! Deny him! Show him you don't want a single thing to do with him! Come on Sakura! Do it!"**_

Sakura paused as she began to think of something to say. But then she stopped thinking all together because she knew that her inner would be able to convince her into doing what she wanted and that she might end up hurting her more than it would Atsushi.

But at the same time… it was _so_ late.

"Sorry Atsushi," she finally said after long moments of silence. "But I'm just so tired and I don't think I have the energy to make it up to the roof right now." she said.

"**Oh… okay…"** Atsushi said. **"I understand. I guess I should've called you earlier, huh?"**

"Mhm." She felt a little regretful. She could hear the disappointment in his voice. For a moment, she felt a little bit of irony hit her.

Here she was, trying not to hurt Atsushi, and wishing that she could go up to the roof and see what he wanted to show her, but she was hurting him anyway, and turning him down. Irony sucked sometimes.

"**Well… I promise I won't be late next time!"** he exclaimed. He seemed back to normal. To his usual, cheery self and for a moment, she was a little hurt that it seemed like he didn't even _care_ in the first place. Maybe it was all a trick and he was just trying to make up for not being with her for such a long time.

"Okay. Bye Atsushi."

"**Bye Sakura. See you soon."**

"_**Wait. What the hell does he mean?"**_

"Wa—" the dial sounded just as she was about to ask her boyfriend what in the world he had meant by, _See you soon_.

"_**He's planning something. I **_**know**_** it."**_ her inner told her. And for once, Sakura was agreeing one hundred percent with her secret, crazy side.

* * *

.

* * *

"Psst. Sakura…"

"Sakura…"

"Sakura wake up…"

She groaned as she heard a voice begin to come to her. It was so annoying at the moment. Because it was beginning to wake her up. And really, she had just fallen asleep—like in a deep sleep—about five minutes ago and already she was being woken up.

"Sakura…"

"Come on Sakura, wake up…"

"Wake up…"

She let out a longer groan as she swung her arm at whatever the disturbance was.

"_**Wah!"**_ her inner cried. _**"Who's waking us up? I need my beauty sleep!"**_

Her inner took control of her body, and with an upset look on her face, she swung at the person. An audible, _ow_, showed that she had made contact, and hopefully the person would back off. But when she felt flesh against her, colder than hers, she knew that she was wrong.

"Come on babe, wake up. And _wow_ do you pack a punch." That voice… why was it suddenly sounded so familiar?

"_That voice… I know that voice…"_

"_**That freaking idiot!"**_

"Erm… A… Atsushi…" she finally moaned out.

"Yeah—"

"_**Oh crap. It is him."**_

"—Can you please wake up now?" Atsushi asked. He was clutching his arm, that still hurt because honestly, despite being very petite, Sakura packed a punch. He never knew that she was so strong. It was such a surprise.

Letting out a sigh, she slowly began to wake up. Her eyes fluttered open and dark green irises looked up into the black, black eyes of her boyfriend. For a split second, she thought that it was Sasuke. But then she remembered that Sasuke's eyes never looked black in the dark. They always looked red with just tiny fragments of black. She always wondered why they looked that way, but she never bothered to ask.

She yawned. "Atsushi," she said hallway through her yawn. Then she finished and cleared her throat a little. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Well," Atsushi said as he took a seat on her bed. "I was headed back to my dorm, with some of the stuff I had up in the roof, when I remembered that it just wouldn't be fair if you didn't get to see what was happening tonight, first hand." He said.

"And what exactly _is_ happening tonight?"she asked. She moved her hands over her face as she moved back strands of her hair that were in the way.

"I told you about twenty minutes ago Sakura—"

"_**You mean to tell me it's **_**eleven twenty**_**?"**_ her inner shouted. _**"Is he seriously **_**that**_** inconsiderate of other people's sleep?"**_

"_Oh just shut up and let me listen to what he has to say."_ Sakura was beginning to get very annoyed with her inner always cutting off her concentration, and trying to make Atsushi look like some kind of heartless bastard. Atsushi wasn't like that.

"So please Sakura," Atsushi said.

"_Great, I missed what he said before."_

"Come with me." Sakura could feel herself feeling shitty at the look he gave her. His eyes were pleading her to go with him. he was so passionate and determined to get her to go up to the roof with him. But what the hell was up on the roof that could cause her boyfriend to act this way?

What was up there?

She finally gave in. She was curious. She wanted to know why Atsushi was willing to get into her room—_**"How **_**did**_** he get in here anyway?"**_—just to wake her up and continue trying to get her up to the roof. She might as well see.

"Okay Atsushi," she finally said. "I'll go up to the roof with you." she began to sit up, but was instantly knocked down by Atsushi's weight.

She was beyond surprised by the feel of his lips against her. And for a split second, she thought that she felt those fireworks and that bubbly feeling in her stomach that she used to always get whenever she would kiss Sa—

Atsushi pulled away from her and she, breathless, stared into his black eyes. "I'll leave you to get dressed." He finally said. "I'll be outside waiting."

He then released her and got off the bed. There was a large grin on his face as he walked away from her, opened the door to the room, and then stepped out to wait for his insanely beautiful girlfriend. He was so incredibly happy that she finally decided to come with him. He was even happier at the fact that he never even gave up.

Sakura was still frozen in shock from the kiss. That had to be the best kiss that she and Atsushi had ever shared. It was just… magical to say the least.

"_**No, no, no!"**_ her inner protested. _**"You can't **_**possibly**_** be thinking that! It wasn't even **_**that good**_**! We've had **_**plenty better **_**with Sa—"**_

Her inner was turned off as a grin spread over Sakura's face and she couldn't help but feel happier than she had felt, earlier that hour.

That really was amazing.

It was so sweet.

So passionate.

And almost up to _his_ standard.

"_He's slowly becoming better than him,"_ Sakura thought as she began to take the sheets off of her body._ "I _knew_ I made the right choice in staying with him."_ now she was certain that she'd never go back to the Uchiha.

* * *

.

* * *

"Okay Atsushi," Sakura said as she finished locking her dorm room, and looked at her boyfriend. She had completely changed her clothing and even washed up a little to make herself look a bit more presentable.

She currently wore a pair of long tights with sweat pants on the top for some extra heat, as well as a turtle neck sweater and a jacket. She had her hair tied up in a ponytail, that was very messy, but looked just fine. She had even brushed her teeth and applied a little bit of lip-gloss.

"You look great," Atsushi said before Sakura could continue. Sakura blushed lightly.

She sighed as she tried to regain her composure. "Just take me up to the roof and show me whatever it was that was so important." She looked away as she tried to hide her blush. She had no clue what was happening to her. Why was she suddenly acting this way towards Atsushi? Like when they first met?

"_Could it be the kiss?"_ she thought. As Atsushi turned around to guide her to the roof, she brought her hands to her lips as she thought about it. It had been one of the best kisses that they've ever shared.

"_**No!"**_ her inner yelled. _**"It **_**wasn't**_** that stupid kiss! That was a **_**meek**_** kiss! A **_**weak**_** kiss! Absolutely **_**nothing**_** to compared to our kisses with—"**_

"_He's holding my hand…"_ Sakura thought. Atsushi had grabbed her hand in order to pull her along faster. For some reason, her pulse was suddenly racing and she was beginning to feel like she was about to faint.

"Come on Sakura," Atsushi said. "We have to be up there in like—_five minutes_, or we'll _never_ make it on time." he said. He began to sprint through the halls, and she followed.

"On time for what?" Sakura asked.

Atsushi looked back at her and had one of the cutest grins on his face that she had ever seen. With his nose all healed, he looked absolutely gorgeous right now. But she never saw him as gorgeous before. Just… _cute_. But now…

"You'll see."

* * *

.

* * *

"Atsushi… can I… please… take a break?" she was panting as they went up the last few steps it took to get to the roof. The door was still wide open, and while the cold kept her from sweating, it also kept her from getting some good air, that she really, very needed.

"Not yet," Atsushi said as he began to go up the last staircase; dragging Sakura behind him. "But don't worry, we're almost there." he pushed the door open further as they reached the top.

Sakura expected it to be something glamorous. Like, maybe a moonlight dinner for the two of them, or her own private concert. He probably wanted to beg for her forgiveness on not being the best boyfriend in the world, or maybe even _propose_.

"_**Let's hope not."**_ Her inner was completely against the idea of Sakura marrying Atsushi. She found it repulsing and, _**"Sasuke is the only one for us!"**_ was stuck in her mind.

"_Save it,"_ Sakura thought. She was finally up and was bent over as she tried to regain her breath. _"Whatever he has planned is going to be so—"_ her heart sank as she looked up and saw nothing but the basic roof setting, along with a telescope.

"_**Ha!"**_ her inner laughed. _**"And you thought he was going to do something **_**romantic**_**. Poor baby."**_ Sakura grit her teeth as her face suddenly became pink from embarrassment. She had expected something so completely romantic that she actually felt her heart flutter. And now… the butterflies are gone and she's just disappointed.

"Atsushi…" she said with the tint of disappointment in her voice. But he didn't hear her.

"Here we are!" He exclaimed. He then looked up at the sky, taking in a deep breath. Oh how he did love fresh air—even if it was _cold _fresh air. "Isn't this awesome Sakura?" he asked.

But when he looked at her, he saw that she was frowning. Her face was pink, and for a moment, he thought he could see something sparkle on her cheek. Almost like a tear. This began to worry him. Was she crying?

"Sakura?" he asked.

Sakura refused to look at him as she turned around and began to head back down. Her hands were freezing and she wanted to sleep this disappointment off.

"I'm going back…" she said softly.

"Wait! Sakura!" Atsushi yelled. He ran to her and grabbed her by the arm so that she wouldn't get far.

"No!" Sakura exclaimed. She began to thrash as she started to break free from his grip, but then she felt him press her back to his chest and the tears of frustration were beginning to come out. She was so incredibly upset. How the hell could she have been so stupid and thought that Atsushi was actually about to be romantic or something?

"_**Had he been Sasuke, you know we would've been in for quite a lovely little surprise. No?"**_ her inner sounded like a bitch right now. But Sakura had to admit that she was right.

Sasuke had once given her such a lovely surprise, that she swore they went at it for like, five hours after. It was during winter and at the lodge. His confession that he loved her wasn't it, but it was the dinner-for-two he had prepared for them afterwards.

She could practically still taste that lobster that had been served. That thing tasted so fresh and she was pretty sure it was there since they went for that walk.

"_I feel like such an idiot."_

"Sakura what's wrong?" Atsushi asked her. He saw how tears were escaping through her eyes faster than they had before.

"N-nothing…" she managed to say. "C-can I… can you please… just… _let me go_? I want to go back to my dorm. I have classes tomorrow and—"

"But then you'll miss it."

That was the last straw. Couldn't he see that she was beyond embarrassed? She felt like an idiot for believing that Atsushi, of all people, could ever be romantic with her.

What was she thinking?

He was a skater boy? His one and only love was his skateboard. He's told her this several times. And she, for some reason, was beginning to think that she was just second-best compared to that board. I mean, she's seen how much stuff he buys to keep that think looking shiny and new. He's yet to buy her one thing and when he had the opportunity, he was always out of money.

"_**Because he spends it all on that decorative piece of wood. I told you that dating him wouldn't be good for you. I mean, look at you now."**_ she was a wreck.

"God Atsushi," she finally said as she reached up with her hand to wipe away the tears. "You're such an idiot."

She felt him go tense.

"What?" he asked. "Why?"

"Why… _why_?" she started. She got out of his grip and immediately turned around. Her face was a pink that was matching her hair, and her fists were clenched. "Are you seriously _that dumb_ that you can't see _why_ I'm not happy with this_ surprise_?" she asked.

"Sa—"

"No!" she exclaimed. "Don't you _dare say a thing to me_." she warned. Her green eyes were glistening with anger, and her face just kept getting pinker and pinker. She was so angry.

"Honestly Atsushi, you wake me up just after I managed to fall asleep, just to bring me up to this stupid roof. I was expecting something romantic. And yet all I see is some telescope and nothing else."

"I am not about to stay up here and do nothing but _star gaze_ all night."

She was silent.

The cold that she had recently been feeling was all gone because her fury was spreading throughout her entire body. She could already feel her hands getting warming as her blood began to rush faster there.

"But, Sakura," Atsushi started. "I promise you that you're gonna love it. Just—"

"_Wait_?" she stated with a mocking tone. "I'm not about to _wait_ another second. I've_ waited_ enough to spend some time with you thank you very much." with that, she turned around and began to go down the stairs.

Atsushi began to call out her name. She frowned as he kept repeating, _Sakura, Sakura!... Wait! Hold on! You're gonna miss it_! She growled.

"I don't _care_ Atsushi!" she yelled back at him. She continued to head back to her dorm. How frustrating it is to have a boyfriend who doesn't even know how to tell how you feel. I mean, honestly.

She's an open book.

* * *

.

* * *

The tears kept coming as she began to take off the clothes she had worn. She had got so casually pretty just for some huge disappointment. God. She felt so incredibly horrible inside. She had thought that Atsushi would be her escape. Her light. Her key. And yet he ended up being the very thing to push her back into even more darkness. Another Sasuke.

"_Why are all the guys I date such jerks?"_ she thought as she tugged off the band that she used to hold her hair up in a ponytail. It was really long now and getting harder to take care of. Maybe she should cut it?

"_**Hey, Sasuke wasn't **_**that**_** much of a jerk."**_ Her inner defended. Her inner was the part of her that still loved Sasuke. And it scared her that she had so much say in her life.

"_Oh yeah. Bullying me for three years until he _finally_ began to feel something other than annoyance for me. You're right. He was the _nicest guy _I_ ever _met."_ The sarcasm could be picked up by a baby.

"_**But at least**_** his**_** surprises were something **_**good**_**."**_

Sakura let out a huff of hot air as she started to take off the shoes that she had worn. Once the white sneakers were off, she then pulled down her sweat pants and just threw it on the bed.

There was only one good thing that came out of this. She finally realized that she and Atsushi _had no future_, if he was so inconsiderate of her feelings.

At least now she could move on with her life. She could focus more on her studies and maybe get into that medical program she had been thinking about earlier that evening. Now she wouldn't feel bad about leaving the skater boy behind, if she ever got accepted. Sure it would be hard to say goodbye to her friends—all of the medical programs she had looked up during her study session, that the school offered, were abroad—but it would be a little easier knowing that she would be back in a few years.

Hopefully, she would already have a career, be making a lot of money, and have a happy life.

"_No one will ever destroy my life ever again."_ She thought as she began to climb into bed._ I'll be happy. I'll be the happiest I've ever been… and without any man in my life."_ she thought.

The covers were over her, and she was positioned perfectly on her bed. As she closed her eyes, she just missed a few streaks of light, as a meteor shower began.

Atsushi's surprise.

* * *

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* * *

Lame. I know. And short too. To be honest, I wanted to make it longer and have her figure it out a little late, but on the same night, but then I thought of such a brilliant idea that you're all gonna love. Oh yeah, and this story is ending. Only about five chapters left before **College Life** comes to an end. I know, so sad. But it isn't because of lack of inspiration, but actually because of what I thought of. But I hope you enjoyed the chapter though. Until next time!

Xoxoxo Chibi Star Vamp


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